RE4: Wake Up
by Lukyirish12
Summary: LeonAshley: Home at last, Leon starts his job of protecting the First Daughter but can he see beyond his tormented past, separating duty and passion, enough to save her from everything but himself? Can he save her from her dreams..? Please Enjoy! R
1. Prelude to Misery

**Note**: If you are looking for a realistic, touching and a possibly erotic continuation between these two characters with a plot and interesting new characters as well as some cool action scenes then this will be your story. Ada is important in this story because she is important to Leon and despite the fact that most Ashley/Leon fans don't like her, me included, we will have to stomach her for the sake of realism and character development. Minor changes have been made to the story in order to fit into the continuation the biggest being that the time they spend in Spain has been stretched into several weeks, not just a single day (which I thought was HIGHLY unrealistic).

**Thanks**: I also want to take this time to personally thank all of the people who reviewed for this story before I actually tried to make something out of it. All of your kind, wonderful comments have motivated me to work on this story and because of you I actually had to see my own potential with the ideas I had for what just might have happened when they returned to the United States.

**Dedication**: I dedicate this to all my wonderful readers, you are amazing, and also to my beloved fiancé, Mark, for kicking me in the ass when I needed it to start writing and for collaborating with me on various parts of the plot and romantic interaction as well as to the good Lord who gives me strength through all my trials. Without further ado, if you made it this far:

-Luky

…

**Chapter One:**

…

Prelude to Misery

…

…

…

Ashley Graham had been through a war.

When her feet touched sand she thought for sure she would melt out into a puddle right onto the beach, like a bubbling mass of chocolate, scorched by the sun. She'd been riding on that bumpy ride all day and was numb from her butt down and she felt oddly disconnected from her body with each wave they jumped. When she heard Leon say that he saw land, she nearly fainted with relief so strong that her vision swayed like the ceaseless current of the ocean. She hadn't been so eager to get to a beach in her entire life and she didn't even care about the fact that she absolutely hated sand.

Her head was buried against Leon's back because she simply didn't have the strength to hold it up anymore. Weeks of running, hiding and now this Jet Ski ride… it had take its toll on her body and her mind. She had to have lost weight in that time period and had she been able to see herself she would have called herself "gaunt".

Without looking up into the sun she tried to close her eyes, welcoming the maroon wash of light against her eye lids as she smashed them shut. She had been covering her face with her hair and now that they were near land she needed to be able to see without being blinded by the unaccustomed light. Thoughts of her impending freedom made her quake with exhaustion and she chided herself for her weakness. It was only a little further…

She shifted, trying to relieve the pressure on her bum, and felt her weak grip slip from around Leon's torso. Not wanting to fall of the Jet Ski again, she quickly slid her hands around him again, her fingers sliding over the material and feeling the moisture clinging to his muscles and skin. She shuddered, not from the cold, but from embarrassment and from a shameful pleasure at the thought of how she was touching him. She didn't get the chance to touch him often and he always seemed a little distant to any affection she might have wanted to give him, despite everything they'd been through together.

'But that doesn't really matter in the end, anyway.' she guessed, 'Since we're almost to land Leon will have completed his mission to rescue me and we'll be going home to the States on different planes for sure…' Despite herself, the thought of leaving his side made her utterly fearful in a way she'd never quite felt before.

But she was too weak from lack of food and hunger, not to mention dehydration from being on this Jet Ski for hours, to really protest any kind of separation if she got the chance. She wondered how the American government was allowed to station themselves around the beaches in anticipation for their arrival and Leon said that there was an American embassy very close to them. He explained to her that it was through that embassy that he'd been deployed to that island. Spain was completely unaware of their presence.

As they crashed into wave after wave of water she began to wonder if they were even heading towards land or if they were just heading straight out into the sea-- into nowhere. How would they get home if they were trapped out there? While in the heat she began to feel delirious and told him so. He simply told her to "hold on" and that they'd be at land as soon as possible. Thank God he'd spotted some.

Having spent an entire week, or more, without a shower had made her very being ache for clean clothing and a warm, sudsy bath. Her once brilliant blond hair was thick with congealed blood and salt water and had dried in huge clumps around her face. What little sweat she could produce in this God awful heat had only increased the disgusting feeling she had all over her body not to mention it made her hair cling to her face despite the high winds created from the Jet Ski ride. She resisted the urge to let go of Leon with one hand to wipe the offending clumps away from her scalp but decided that it was better not to fall back into the endlessly sweeping ocean and cause him anymore trouble.

Despite the fact that she knew she'd been enough of a pest the whole time they had been together she almost religious congratulated herself on her ability to handle as much of the situation as possible. In her honest defense, she'd endured some of the most horrific things an adult woman could see, let alone someone who had been sheltered from the evils of the world by the wealth and power of her family. Even the things she'd experienced in her past had been nothing like this so despite the fact that she'd been whiny, bitchy and sometimes incredibly stupid, "little" girl-- she think she owed it to herself to be a at least a little proud that she didn't crumble up into a ball in despair or fear.

But in the same breath, had Leon not been the one to come and rescue her-- would the outcome have been different? His warmth and kindness, however off handed it was at some points, were a reassurance and a comfort to her when she was near her breaking point. She'd grown so dependant on him for her safety that she felt almost like a child, fused to his side in terror over everything they experienced. Even now she didn't know what she'd do if they were separated. That thought made her tighten her grip around him as if her feeble strength could keep them together despite destiny's cruel talons that were braced to tear them apart.

If it was another man-- someone else who had come to save her, would she be feeling the same way? Would she even have made it out alive without someone of Leon's dedication or would her rescuer regardless of his face be the man she fell for? Was Leon special or was it just the feelings she had towards a rescuer that were careening inside of her? Would she be feeling this way about any other man if Leon hadn't been the one to rescue her-- or was it just their circumstances, and not their personalities, that made them seem like they would work so well together?

There was some kind of fierce determination she sensed in him that was more then just self-preservation or duty, something so much more then the eagerness to satisfy a goal. It was more powerful then the drive to accomplish. He seemed to genuinely care about whether or not they were going to make it out of the there alive. Combat training aside-- he was possibly the only male she'd ever met who would put themselves through this kind of danger, including her attitude, and still manage to care about a stranger.

They had been strangers but yet they had gotten so close. Clinging to him now, she felt the distance between them stretching further and further until it felt as if she could never reach across the distance towards him. And the closer and closer they got to the shoreline, the more that distance seemed to grow between them. She was touching him, sure-- and she could feel the skin of his muscular arms, yes-- but it felt just like the warmth on her skin. She could feel the suns heat but it was miles and miles away.

When they had been separated she had felt so lonely, so cold and distant. She'd contemplated death as a better alternative to becoming a weapon against her family yet she tried to be as strong as she could. She knew Leon was out there and that he would find her. Somehow she just knew that he wouldn't ever give up until they were both safe.

He seemed consumed with her safety-- a kind of desperation that a mother would have protecting her child and sometimes he did make her feel like a kid. She had to admit that she wasn't always the best little heroine she could be but in that situation she felt she did pretty well. Zombies attacking at her and their heads splitting open to reveal squiggly monsters-- not to mention having one growing inside of her far exceeded her worst imagining as a child. If only she knew back then what real horrors were-- then maybe she might not have been so happy to have her father run to be president…

She shuddered despite the heat of the day and tried to block out the memory. There were so many horrible experiences. She didn't want to think about them. She wouldn't. She wouldn't. She wouldn't!

But Leon had been kind and supportive to her. She hadn't cried that much but when she did, he'd just let her do it for a moment and seemed unsure of what to do. Sometimes those kinds of actions made her feel like he was being callous to her but those were just his ways. It was rare that he let down his barriers to comfort her but when he did-- it showed his humanity which was something she hadn't seen in a bodyguard before.

Leon was one of the strangest bodyguards she'd had all her life being that he was so young, first off, and that he actually talked to her about a few things when he was trying to calm her down. Not even one of her previous bodyguards allowed themselves to "stoop" to such an unprofessional level and being with him was different anyway. Their situation was high pressure all the time, constant fear and concern. She didn't know if any of her other helpers would be like Leon if they'd been in the same position and didn't want to find out.

As she found herself continuing to think she felt her fingers itching to scratch her face but she knew there had to be the black goopy residue of blood and dirt caked under her once beautifully tailored nails, so she resisted that urge. Her slender hands were bruised and ached from the effort of holding onto Leon's broad chest and she knew she had broken at least three nails. Thinking about broken nails and whining about it didn't seem like something she should bother Leon with while in Spain and after some careful consideration, she decided it wasn't that important in the end anyway. Nails could grow back-- limbs couldn't. At least she still had all her limbs.

She couldn't imagine what it would have been like if Leon had met her before she was kidnapped. He was supposed to be her personal bodyguard which carried with the title a degree of professional attitudes but she couldn't help but wonder about if he'd met her before all this-- when she still smelled of light perfume and clean bath soaps-- her hair neatly brushed and combed to tidy perfection? What would he have thought of her if her nails were freshly painted and well manicured as if she'd just stepped fresh out of a salon?

Would he have looked at her differently then? Would she have even tried to strike up a conversation with the new, nameless and mindless professional bodyguard even if he was incredibly handsome, and young? She'd grown so accustomed to having at least one following her everywhere she went, even before her father had become the president. She'd grown tired of trying to find human traits in the older man and had just settled for ignoring them after all attempts at contact had been made.

Deciding to peak out a little bit, she opened her squinted eyes ever so slightly and let the light wash in, bathing the water in brilliant sparkles as her eyes tried in vain to reconfigure themselves to work properly. She turned her cheek which was resting on Leon's back to peer over his shoulder at the beach line where a beautiful array of blinking colors splashed on the sand. She felt the intense sunlight make her eyes burn as she forced them to focus. The time spent in Spain had been mostly dark and gloomy-- that sun hadn't come out until they'd gotten a good few miles away from the dust from the explosion too-- which hadn't helped.

She felt like weeping and she fought to control the urge. It was bad enough to have her pride wounded as it was, and her body sore at every inch and crying wasn't going to make her feel better-- it would make her feel worse. And the last thing she needed right now was Leon's patronizing attitude to make her feel more inadequate when he saw her tears. He was great and everything-- but he had a knack for being a bit harsh.

Even though he had been kind about her crying through their time in Spain… it didn't mean that she was willing to show him anymore weakness. If anything, she needed to retain as much of her strength as possible if she was going to have to say goodbye. He'd already made his intentions adamantly clear.

'_So uh, after you take me back to my place, how about we do some… uh… overtime…?'_

She inwardly cringed as the memory resurfaced despite her better attempt to effectively suffocate it. His scoff seemed to echo in her head and the monotone, sorry seemed so cold and distant to her ears at the time that she had almost wished she could die right on the spot. He didn't like her?? She was sure that there must have been something, anything that made him like her-- she was sure of it. The mission couldn't have been the only thing on his mind the whole time they'd been there because of what had happened between them. What about all those times he'd... gotten so close with her...?

'_Mission COMPLETE!_' she had yelled happily, unable to control the surge of emotions that washed over her weary body. He had responded that he still had to get her home, so calmly and it was almost like a smack in the face at the change of his tone of voice. Had to get her home? She was alive and so was he and they'd survived so much together… he'd helped her so much… wasn't he proud of that? Didn't that make them grow closer and closer still having survived something so horrific-- together?

'Maybe I'm just a whiny kid to him after all…' she thought morbidly as she remembered the way he froze when she hugged him, after he had removed the parasite from within her. She was so relieved… and she ached for him to wrap his arms around her like he had before… when she had run away from him, unwilling to accept the blood she'd seen smeared from on her hand. She was so terrified, so completely consumed with fear that she'd run away from it all she had felt so stupid but seeing him after escaping all that madness was such a sweet victory that--

A jostle as the Jet Ski hit a surprising wave startled her thoughts and Leon jerked the wheel to maintain control, sending a geyser of water spraying out in the opposite direction. She felt specks of sea foam drizzle onto her skin and felt her fingers slip a little as she grappled with her fingers to hold onto Leon's sturdy back. She was so eager for the feel of land, so eager for safety at last that she might as well of just jumped off right there and swam for land if she had the strength.

The closer they got the easier it was for her to finally be able to make out some of the faces on the beach. Despite herself she stiffed without realizing it, instantly afraid that she may face danger on those banks. But as the realization dawned on her that she was heading for safety her haunted eyes shown a glimmer of brightness at the thought that the people on the beach were in fact, normal human beings-- people who weren't trying to kill her, but who were trying to see what was going on because of curiosity and concern. Not to mention, Leon wasn't going to let any of them hurt her, duty or no duty.

She tried to focus on the land and not on Leon as the Jet Ski came to a lurching stop in the water and in an instant he swung one long, well muscled leg over the side, easily jumping off and landing in the crystal blue water with a splash. The idea of getting into the water was a little less then appealing but she had no choice as she lost her balance and began to tip forward into the water with a yelp of surprise.

A strong arm reached out to brace her and she felt relief flow through her entire body at the warm touch, sending thrills of electricity up to her number fingers and toes as she felt his powerful hands steadying her. She looked down at his hand for a moment, and felt a twist in her heart as tears instantly popped into her eyes. She made an effort to avoid his gaze as he tried to help her off the Jet Ski but she instead tried to get off on her own, her legs shaking like a new born calves as she flopped around like a child without flotation devices in the water.

"_Let's just say she's a part of me that I can't let go…"_

She bit her lip as the memories threatened to surface again She didn't want to remember anything. Nothing. She'd block all of her bad memories away! She had to...

Never mind her embarrassment, she had been desperately trying to get close to him, yet he had always found some reason to push away… what was so special about the women in the red dress? Who was she? Why was she important to him? She didn't look like a very nice person, that's for damn sure. And she had tried to hurt us… why?

That woman had even tried to kill him and he still had feelings for her?

'Well if that's what a man thinks is love then I'm glad I have no part of it!' she thought with indignation, and was suddenly startled by her thoughts. Love? Where had that come up? Who said anything about love?

Without realizing it her eyes lifted, tears that she didn't want to have were welling in her big brown eyes as they first grazed upon his collar bone-- to his chin-- along his lips... And landed on Leon's careful looking eyes. Her insides quivered with sadness as she felt her heart flutter like a bird against its cage, desperate to be free and recognized and unable to move for fear of rejection again.

'Do I…?' she thought, gazing into his eyes-- his expression was guarded, so unlike the friendly gaze he'd held while in Spain. Pain echoed through her every being and she felt shame wash over her at having stooped to such a level as to offer herself to him and be denied. Her body had yearned for his touch when she was frightened but it was also something else she hadn't wanted to name and despite it all he would never just hold her close as she wanted him to.

She had longed for him to ease away her fears as any other normal man would have felt the urge to do. He always wanted to move, always trying to get out-- always trying to save them and that had obviously turned out to be the best thing for them despite her feelings for him.

It was so obvious that he cared about that other woman by the way he seemed to ignore Ashley's affections after just seeing her… but it was hard to accept that a man could put so much devotion into saving someone who he didn't care even a little bit about yet not pursue what he really wanted-- another woman.

It was hard to imagine that. It hurt to imagine it. And she hated him for saving her only to let her just humiliate herself for him to scoff and laugh at her sad attempts at trying to invite him into her bed. Thinking about the whole thing really made her feel sick inside although it could have just been from the heat and exhaustion…

She swatted his hand away weakly when he offered it and stepped into the water, the waves sweeping at her weak legs as she fought to control her rising hurt and anger. She shivered despite the warmth of the sun and placed her relinquished hand against her chest trying to stop the fierce beating of her heart. Distantly she was aware that she WAS acting like a child at this very moment and that she shouldn't be angry at him because he'd just saved her life!

As she peered up at him his eyes had shown nothing. Not even coldness. She hated it, hated him-- she just wanted to get as far away as she could from him!

"I don't need your help anymore, Leon. I'll be fine from here on out." she said steadily despite the trembling she felt from being on the Jet Ski for so long. She was determined not to need him anymore. After all the humbling situations she'd been through she was still unwilling to let him see how wounded she was by his refusal to accept her, even just her body. She wanted so badly to turn into his arms and hug him that the thought only propelled her faster away.

'I want you.' she thought desperately even as she pushed his hand away, 'Please help me… don't leave me alone..!'

She turned to try and walk away and found that her legs were like lumbering towers of Jell-O and before she knew it she was again falling, her gaze blurring uncontrollably as a wave of dizziness swarmed her vision. She heard him vaguely say something, and he sounded almost angry-- a bit of his resolve weakening? She didn't care-- she wanted to get away from him. Get away from the temptation to blubber out all her thoughts and emotions-- her gratitude and so much more!

She felt her world careen as he reached out a gloved hand towards hers, pulling her back in his direction and wrapping one arm around her waist. He pulled her close and she distantly felt the strength of him seeping into her body by the almost... passionate way he gripped her. And for a wonderful, amazing instant she could almost imagine he was her lover, pulling her into an embrace-- gripping her expertly like any man who knew his woman would. Possessive. Protective. She felt the coolness of his skin against her and it caused a shudder to wrack through her body.

Even in the warmth of the mid afternoon the coolness of the water did nothing to cool her fevered flesh. She was so unbearably hot that the cold was almost too cold and it was shocking her body to the touch. She hadn't realized it but she was swimming in heat and it was almost as if all the horror and the disappointment of the past few weeks had come to surface in her making her sick to her stomach and dizzy. All the exhaustion and stress and her need to feel safe seemed to culminate in her just then and she felt like she was slowly sliding down along Leon's body as her body slowly began to shut down.

Her eyes caught on his face again and despite her need to get away, she vaguely relished in the feel of his rough gloved hand against hers and the feel of him pressing her against him. 'Oh, how nice it would be to be lovers with a man as wonderful as Leon... Someone who would teach her gently…' she thought but she didn't really just want that and she knew it. She wanted the whole deal-- anything and everything she could get from him.

'I'm so...' she thought as her eyes blurred on his face. "I'm so... stupid..." she whispered up at him, feeling alive for just a moment as he shifted his arms around her, holding her closer to his body. Despite how cold he felt she promised herself she wasn't going to forget what it was like to be in his arms-- could never forget-- and she knew she'd remember everything he'd done for despite how they separated. She'd just forget everything else-- she'd forget all the pain and horrible memories-- everything but him…

Tears poured freely from her eyes as her vision darkened, and his face was above her, worry clearly etched in the lines around his face. It was a relief to see that unnatural mask lifted from his features. This was the face she loved-- this was the one that made her heart glow with comfort when she saw it. Those eyes said so many things that neither of them could understand about each other, not yet anyway. Not now. Maybe not ever.

She felt her lips moving but she found couldn't hear any sounds other then the rising roar of the waves and the deafening silence was overwhelming to her senses. As tears slid down her sunken cheeks she tried to mumble something to him to try and tell him how she felt but her lips felt swollen and her throat thick. She wanted to thank him. She wanted to promise to never forget him or what he had done for her. How much she cared for him. So many things she wanted to say but her lips weren't responding to her.

She felt her head fall backwards, her body arching against his as she felt her entire form weakening and going limp as wave upon wave of heat washed over her body, making her vision swim and blur against the blue, blue sky and floating clouds above her. Her hair fell away from her face in clumps, catching in the wind as her vision turned into swirling tones of grey and black. And then--

Nothing.

…

…

…

We've got such a lovely development and realistic approach to Ashley's personality and character in this chapter. It's obvious she likes him in the story and it also offers a new look on her asking Leon for overtime which will be explained differently in the next chapter as well. This is a VERY realistic interpretation of what would happen between the two characters after they've landed on the beach. Let's just ignore the fact that they'd have to cross the entire pacific to get there. For the purposes of this story and my sanity-- let's just assume that the island was right off the United States coast line and leave it at that. Who knows, it's a fan fiction anyway! Please enjoy the next chapter!

**REVIEW!**

Edited: 7/3/2008

Edited: 9/10/2008

-Luky


	2. Unwilling Emotion

I think this is going to be an amazing story. I've got so many things planned and I have almost four chapters written already for it (still being edited). I liked to keep my chapters about 3k long so that's what you should expect. The first version of this story I had only written 500 words to in the first chapter and I kept getting so many different reviews-- which were amazing. So now because of you wonderful people I am writing more-- but I mostly write this for myself. I really want to finish this story-- it would make me so happy. Also, from my other fan fiction-- you can take those scenes as parts of this story, flashbacks because they all feed from the same ideas.

Also, would you believe I actually was able to play through the first 3 and a half hour of the game? OMG-- before I was only able to watch my brother play. I would seriously scream every time I was attacked-- and I never got past the first village with the guy impaled on the flaming post (yes I sucked but I owned every FF game there ever was). Now I just fought the Del Lago… and I'm just at the part with the squiggly heads-- awesome right?

-Luky

…

**Chapter Two:**

…

Unwilling Emotion

…

…

…

He was exhausted.

Even as the sun beat against his back he felt it-- to the very core of his bones. Exhaustion. His hands gripped the handle bars of the Jet Ski as tight as he possibly could in order to maintain the machine in the rocky Atlantic waters. Water had been spraying against his face and caused his lips to chap and bleed-- and his arms were dried from the salt and from the lack of hydration and none of that helped his current state. With the sun sucking all his energy from him, he was pulling in all his last reserves so he could get them home. He had to reach the Spanish Coastline before the government was unable to keep their operatives on the beaches.

He'd been going for so long at a constant pace that it seemed he hadn't paused for a moment to take a deep breath in days. His arms ached with each movement and his hands hurt from clutching the handles of the Jet Ski as hard as he had been. If it wasn't for the fact that he had an immeasurable amount of stamina, he'd have given up long ago and just rolled over and said, "I'm finished" and then he could just give up and be done. But it didn't work that way. He was never that lucky.

He was going to have to hold on until he could reach the agency and give his official report and then maybe then he'd get to rest a bit. He'd take a break from firing his gun. If he had it his way, he wouldn't be hearing the sound of gunfire for quite some time although it seemed more like a daily part of his occupation. Then again, the likelihood that he'd actually get a "rest" was laughable.

'Rest… yeah right.' he thought morbidly as he faintly recalled what "rest" he'd gotten after he'd escaped Raccoon City. If you call being stuck in a tiny cell for three months without any human interaction other then to tell you when you haven't pissed enough or when not to do things, rest. He knew damn well what awaited him at the end of this adventure. A quick plane flight and a shit load of free time.

His profession called it "voluntary" but it was really an "occupational hazard". Quarantine was not something you willingly went into unless you had to do it. For the life of him, he'd never send a dog overseas to have to sit for a month in solitude-- hell; he wouldn't wish it on anyone except maybe an enemy.

He would have given up long before many things happened if it hadn't been his sole purpose in life to do his duty-- to complete the objective, to protect people after the carnage he'd witnessed in Raccoon city. From that he realized his mission to protect and that's what he decided he wanted from his life. When he'd taken this position it wasn't simply babysitting the presidents daughter at drunken college parties or stopping her from getting harassed by the press that made him accept it.

Hell, he hadn't exactly wanted the job but an unfortunate bet on his part made him lose his opportunity to protect the president-- instead he was delighted to babysitting although it hadn't turned out like that in the end. He'd been protecting someone who wasn't a military official and that was a big step up from what he'd been dealing with. While in Spain, protecting Ashley had given him a reason to keep going through all the things they had to deal with and all the horrors they had seen, even if she was could be really annoying.

But then again, she wasn't that bad.

In fact, she'd proven more then once how strong she could be by helping him in ways he hadn't thought would be possible from a prissy little princess like he'd imagined her to be. He had to be honest, he hadn't really done a lot of research into her character before he'd been given the mission. In fact the only thing he'd really known about her was what he'd seen of her on the television while she was campaigning with her father and stepmother. He almost hadn't wanted to take the mission because of her but for certain reasons that he hated himself for, he had been forced to take it anyway.

But she hadn't been too bad in the face of adversity. She'd even shot a gun at an infested townsperson who was attacking him-- and didn't miss, which was a great surprise to him. Maybe if he ever got the chance he'd really teach her how to shoot even though he firmly believed that she wouldn't agree to it. He'd been surprised with her history with weapons that she had been willing to pick up a gun, let alone fire it. From the limited knowledge of her childhood-- he knew both she and her father had firm gun control beliefs.

Not to mention, the fact that she hadn't just stood in place, scared shitless, or went insane and hysterical (although she did come close at some points) spoke volumes about what kind of strength she had over the things they had faced. He hardly expected her to be a little Xena the Warrior Princess despite the fact that a guy could dream. For that he had Ada.

He remembered the deep pain he had seen in her big wide eyes throughout their horrific time together. He wanted to look away but after everything she'd gone through, the twitch in his heart at her look told him she needed all the positive support she could get. They both needed it.

And after everything he'd gone through personally in the past, not to mention training-- he wasn't going to back down to the look of death and sadness from the eyes of one girl, never mind how cute and desperate she was. While she wasn't a supermodel, she certainly had her ample charms, that was true-- but he wasn't willing to sacrifice his objectivity for a stirring in the nether region.

Especially when he knew he hadn't had a shower in several days, save for a few dunks in a murky lake with god knows what in it-- and neither had she. It wasn't exactly conducive to love making to be covered in mud and grime-- unless that was your thing… And he wasn't about to take advantage of Ashley… that wasn't going to help him have a job when they got out of this mess. At least that's what he told himself.

But he couldn't really stay objective towards her or their situation even as he fought himself over it. They had truly bonded in his moments of weakness and while he still had to protect her, he remembered how his heart had seized in a strange sort of desperation when she was captured-- every shriek she had made had taken his mind of the task and filled him with emotions that were dangerous in a mission such as this. He had felt his breath catch watching a Las Plagas burst from the neck of a man, and reach its bloody, razor sharp hands towards her.

Fear. Cold and instant had struck him. He'd gotten close to her… so close that even he knew just how far he'd breached his levels of objectivity. He didn't want to think about it and thank God Ashley hadn't been in any condition to know much of anything. Although he doubted he'd get out of this without a nightmare or two of his own…

She seemed to strike him each time she was in his presence. Even Luis going towards her had unleashed a sort of fierce protectiveness that he recognized as very dangerous but was unable to turn off. It wasn't an emotion; it was a reaction to her and her safety. At least that is what he told himself every time something like that happened. He chalked it up to instinct, instinct to protect and to complete his mission, but secretly he knew it had to be more then that. He was simply unwilling to accept it even thought it was obvious by his actions just how smitten he really was.

A swirl of emotion bubbled in his chest as he felt her arms reposition around his back and tighten weakly against his sore stomach. He felt the pressure of her face as she laid her cheek weakly against him and if it wasn't for the fact he knew better, he might have thought she had fallen asleep against him. It wouldn't have been the first time she'd fallen asleep like that but he didn't like to think about those moments… not now.

She had to be exhausted. She had done so well despite everything that had happened and despite the fact that she was very bossy with other people, not him necessarily, and had quite the snippy attitude he didn't hold it against her. They'd both been tired-- exhausted-- and she deserved to have a little conniption even if it meant a bit of his sanity each time.

When she had freaked out over the blood on her hand was a good example of one of those situations. That had sucked. He was genuinely concerned for her as he reached for her, a little bit of his emotions getting the best of him only for her to react like he'd bitten her and run away. Then when she'd gotten trapped it was so sudden that it almost seemed surreal. She'd disappeared from sight and he could only shout after her, a little angry at their circumstances but none the less, promising to rescue her again.

It was no wonder she was the daughter of the man who'd basically won over an entire nation in an election. It had been the first election in years that the American people were able to actually vote for someone they liked versus voting for the lesser of two "evils". The democratic runner had no chance against him and it was easy to see that some of that obvious charm was present in his daughter-- even if she didn't look a thing like the man.

She certainly exceeded his expectations of her being a snobby, prissy little rich girl who was the talk of the locker rooms at her college and he found despite the fact that she a cute and smart young woman-- that she was oddly innocent and sometimes almost…demure. She was… so simple yet oddly alluring…

But what amazed him most was her ability to assist him and follow directions. Unlike many other people he'd worked with in the past and other people he'd protected, he hadn't had any person who was as thoughtful or obedient as she had been. If he told her to hide, she hid. If he told her to run, she ran, although not very fast but he couldn't blame her-- they'd been running on empty for several days.

She wasn't perfect by any means. Sometimes she'd followed him even when he'd tell her to stay which made his job harder because he trusted his instincts on looming danger and she had no clue about it. She'd also helped him out many times when it was definitely a two person job, although she was generally slow moving. They both were after several days without good nutrition or a lot of water.

He remembered the first time she had done anything that had been truly, truly helpful…

…

'_Leon!' she had cried, running to his side as he shut the heavy oak door, locking the las plagas in the other chamber. He knew they would open the door, he had to find something to brace it as fast as possible and his eyes searched frantically for something, anything to keep the door wedged shut!_

"_Ashley, we have to find something to brace the door, you have to find something!" Leon cried as he felt a force pushing at the door. He bore down with all his might, his legs shaking with effort as his feet slid on the dirt covered stone. He watched her turn, her blond hair flying in every direction as she turned her head frantically-- searching for something--anything--to block the door with._

"_Hurry Ashley… HURRY!" he grunted, and his eyes lost focus he felt the door start to slip forward and he gave a cry of encouragement just as she released a shout of surprise and relief. His eyes quickly sprang in the direction she did and saw the huge log she had found on the floor covered in bloody sheets and empty barrels. Seeing it, he knew that she wasn't going to be able to lift it over the door to lock it in place and he quietly cursed his decision to go into this room, more las plagas could be down the corridor, in another room!_

"_Leon!" she cried as she scrambled on top of the pile of junk and gave a cry as the splintered wood sank into her delicate hands. Hands he knew would otherwise be soft and not hard and covered in dirt and blood. He tried to answer back to her but his body was focused entirely on keeping the door as shut as possible. He watched as she threw things to either side, finally unearthing the massive log and, grabbing it with both hands under her arm, started to drag it towards him on trembling legs._

_She had come up to his side and with relief he watched her drop the log right before the outstretched arms of the las plagas. The sound of the log hitting the ground echoed through the room and time seemed to stand still as she just looked on into the squirming mass seeping through the door, her eyes lowered and an intensity burning there that his breath stopped and time seemed to slow._

_Her hands, so small and delicate were at her side, her fingers splayed in the effort to catch her breath and her chest rose and fell quickly, trying to earn a little extra energy with each ragged rush of air. In his mind, he had been screaming for her to move forward-- but she was just a college girl. Just a girl. She wasn't Ada. She couldn't protect herself. She needed his protection. She needed him just as much as he needed her._

_In the moment before she started kicked the Las Plagas at the door, trying to get them out of the way so they could slam the door shut, he realized that the only thing stopping him from dropping down and letting the monsters swarm inside was the fact that she wanted to live too-- she needed him and because of it, it gave him a reason to give his all-- a reason to stomach the monster growing inside himself. It was a small comfort in this disgusting, wretched world to know that he wasn't alone. She must have felt the same._

_But that didn't stop him from objectifying the situation. Just because they shared a strange, unknown bond, didn't mean that he would have the opportunity to explore that difference, that bond. As the door slammed shut he turned quickly and with her help they heaved the heavy wood branch up and onto the doors open hooks, securely looking it in place._

_He put his hands against the door and gasped for breath and watched as Ashley's hands, which still gripped the wooden frame, started to slide with her body to the floor until she was on her knees, shaking and gasping for breath. He turned to look at her just as she looked over at him and the tears in her eyes didn't seem like that of a whining child's, but of a brave girl, who had just done more then half the girls her age would have in the same situation._

"_I guess this was the right door after all…" she said, and forced a shaky smile on her dry lips, a few tears streaming down her face without hindrance as she did so. He couldn't speak as he looked over at her, a new respect brewing for her in his heart and as hard as he fought it, he couldn't deny that something was there, something powerful… _

_Whether it was the pest that was growing inside them they both were changing, even if neither of them realized it yet. It was obvious that this was something neither of them had expected of their future but it was certainly their reality-- and they had to get out of this… hell… before either of them could begin to understand the feelings and emotions that had brewed and spewed forth from between them._

"_Good Job, Ashley…"_

…

There was of course the fact that they were heading towards foreign soil at this point. The thought of landing on soil with normal beach goers was such a wonderful feeling he wondered if he'd ever want to leave the sand. When they got home there was going to be a lot of questions and a lot of interrogation and he wasn't looking forward to it. He had wanted to prep Ashley for it on the ride home but they had been stunned to silence with Ashley's question of "overtime" that he really hadn't wanted to talk about much of anything.

Sex… he hadn't had that in a long time and sex with Ashley would probably be wonderful, he wasn't going to lie-- he'd thought about it-- many times and he was a little shamed by the thought. But saying "sorry" was the obvious choice considering her position and his. And he scoffed to keep from choking from surprise at her sudden outburst considering that she didn't seem like the kind of girl to offer herself so… blatantly and the words had unsettled him.

Hearing something like that from Ashley seemed like every stereotype he could possibly imagine about a college girl and try as he might, he didn't believe it. He had been tempted more then once to simply take her right there in Spain but he respected woman and didn't want to take advantage of her body in that way. It wouldn't have been fair for her if he'd satisfied what felt like more then a year of constant blue balls and training with only men.

Not to mention he was supposed to be protecting her and banging the president's daughter when they should be reporting in probably wasn't the brightest of ideas if he wanted to have a job after this mission.

This was another thing. If they slept together who was to say what kind of psychological affects it would have had on her? Whatever emotions she was feeling were spawned entirely of the situation and were not validated through reason but by the instinct to survive, so sex with her could create lots of extracurricular problems he simply didn't want or need-- despite her having a body that teased him every time she jumped from a ledge and he caught her or every time her body even slightly touched his.

He'd thought about sleeping with her before, many times-- and he'd come so close to taking what she offered. It wasn't easy watching her chest rise and fall in the nights and days when they were able to find a little peace to rest and try to find something to eat. She had looked so delicate and innocent-- and the dark part of him liked that as much as he liked a woman who managed a gun.

It hadn't been easy to see her lying on the ground in that dirty, yet short skirt, that seemed to tease the tips of her upper thighs along her hip line. At night when they had no warmth and were laying wait, she would curl against him, his arm around her shoulders to try and share body heat and he could just faintly see the line of her tan thigh against his.

Yes… they'd become dangerously close.

Yes. He'd thought about devouring those trembling lips, but only for moments-- and even then, it was a matter of sheer lust and he hadn't accepted the temptation-- or had he?? With so much adrenaline fueling them, there was bound to be some mutual attraction between them driven by instinct. He had longed to touch her but had only settled on a few occasions to linger his hand along her back, to hold her close when he caught her from her fall or to smooth out her unruly, knotted hair as she wept against his shoulder from fear when they were alone.

Yes… overtime at this point was an impossible suggestion even if it was also impossibly frustrating. He knew it and because of his duty, his training, and his mission-- he had refused the offer and intended to keep it that way. As soon as he got back into the states he was going to have to find some way of relieving his frustrations, by whatever means necessary. It didn't help when her hands were wrapped securely around him, her fingertips just barely touching over the width of his chest.

"Land." he cried out hoarsely as he suddenly spotted what looked like the gentle sway of the beach shoreline. As they got closer he could see the faint lines of colors, beach towels and bodies sprawled out in a multitude of colors. His eyes blurred from the glare of the sun on the water, but he could still see the lines. He heard her heave a heavy sigh as she peered over his shoulder to see the land.

They hadn't talked on the way back, it had been best to preserve their strength and he certainly needed it to get back home, with both of them. Mission accomplished? Not yet, but almost. Then he'd immediately get the hell away from her and save himself the mental and physical battle. No more need to worry about lust and close proximity to a young, beautiful girl that was probably traumatized…. But he'd saved her. They'd made it.

But getting away would be the healthiest thing he could possibly do for the both of them. He had a lot of unanswered questions that he wanted to investigate not to mention he had to deal with the rebirth of the dead woman from his dreams-- Ada. She had survived the fall-- how? How did she survive that kind of fall?? And what was she doing in Spain and was she involved in Ashley's kidnapping.

Plus… it was Ada that captivated him and it was Ada that he longed for more then anything. That woman… who seemed a part of him that he could never just save-- he never could save her, she seemed to always be doing the saving. But it hadn't always been so. He thought she was dead and he'd already locked those feelings away since that time in Raccoon city, his first hell.

'_She's like a part of me I can't let go of…' _

She was the one woman who, as much as he yearned to help her… he could not. Couldn't save her. But he could save Ashley. He was going to do that and then he'd redouble his efforts on his elusive companion from the past. This woman that was such an enigma that she seemed more like a ghost fading into the mist-- appearing under strange and peculiar situations. She didn't seem real. Maybe because his memories of her were so limited and the only thing he clearly remembered about her was the way she had "died".

And as much as he lusted after Ashley, it wouldn't do either of them any good to satisfy that craving with each other when he couldn't care for her like she deserved… Obviously she wanted to sleep with him, but it had to be more then that-- he couldn't just use her for his own physical urges and be done with her- she was too sweet for that. Plus, he'd never make love to a women wishing she was someone else… and as much as he need to satisfy his urges, he cared for Ashley more then enough to know that he wouldn't…. couldn't replace Ada with her.

As the Jet Ski crashed onto along the shallow waters of the beach, onlookers screamed and yelled in a foreign language, standing and pointing, their hands rose to their faces to see what the commotion was. It was a good thing that they were both mostly cleaned off by the water… at least he was. As he jumped off the Jet Ski he automatically turned out of habit to help her down as the Jet Ski tipped forward unsteadily.

He watched her face, which was devoid of emotion, ripple with surprise as she started to fall but he reached out instantly and steadied her. She had been avoiding his gaze until that point and now she raised her tear filled eyes up to his and locked his gaze with hers.

He froze, an instant icy glare catching him off guard, he was expecting her to be happy to be safe-- happy to be on safe soil-- but the tears in her eyes were of anger, defiance-- and pain. He felt an instant burning at the back of his throat as she swatted his hand away weakly. He simply stared down at her, his hair catching in the wind as she pressed her hand against her chest between the valleys of her breasts, trying to gain balance in the rocking waters.

"I don't need your help anymore, Leon. I'll be fine from here on out. I can get home from here on my own" she said as she turned away from him slightly and started to try and walk away and the words stung him. She didn't need him anymore, that was fine-- but what about him, did he need her? She needed him, damn it-- what was she saying?

'She… needs me, doesn't she?' he wondered to himself, a fierce sort of hopelessness swarming him as he watched her try to walk away but she was having a hard time of it. Her obvious cold attitude had to do with his response to her offer to go to bed with her and that thought brought a bit of clarity back. He'd be damned if she'd act like a spoiled kid because he'd had to say no!

"Like hell you are! Look at you, you can barely walk!" he yelled, not realizing the intensity of his voice as he reached out and grabbed her gently, but forcefully on the hand. It was a mistake and he knew it instantly as she turned and seemed to melt into his hand, electricity sparking from his finger tips to sear at his heart and his gut. Tears unlike those she had shed from fear were pouring down her face as she looked up at him, confusion written over her features.

He reached up with his other arm, forgetting the Jet Ski entirely and the people who were creeping closer, and wrapped his arm around the curve of her back, pulling her close to him to steady her-- his hand still holding hers against his chest at this point. Her body was warm to the touch and until now he hadn't even thought about her health-- just getting her out alive was the goal. He secretly regretted not acknowledging the horrible things that had happened to her and discussing it. Thinking about all she had endured made him sick.

"Le…on…?" she whispered, her voice pathetically low. She sounded like a child and felt very small in his arms.

She looked up into his face, her eyes shaking and for a horrible instant he was terrified of whether or not they had removed her parasite from within her-- but he saw her eyes focusing and un-focusing on his face and despite the heat of the day, her skin was oddly pale. Her lips trembled and she shuddered. He knew she was going to pass out but she seemed to want to say something. He leaned in closer to her face and her eyes widened, more tears coming out as she mumbled thoughtlessly in his ear.

And just like that, she passed out.

…

…

…

That's the end. Now I've tried to address every emotion of Leon's in this chapter. You have to have his point of view in order to start a character development from where the game left off. As you can see… Leon is attracted to Ashley-- but he still feels attached to the first woman he let die-- the one he wasn't able to protect. He's also torn between duty and honor-- and protecting this woman from everything, including himself. It's hard for him to accept her affections because he doesn't want to get too close-- he's a wounded soul. In this way-- bother he and Ashley are going to help each other. Next chapter: Quarantine.

-Luky

Edit: 7/3/2008

Edit: 9/17/2008

**REVIEW!**


	3. Welcome Home

Well in between revisiting the age old classic Star Craft and enjoying the pleasure of writing I've been working on writing and thus I have a new chapter for you to enjoy. It's been so much fun working on this and ironically the rough draft of this story was first produced the same day I edited and posted chapter one as well as finished editing the rough version of chapter two. Ah yes… I love writing this story. I wonder how long this story will turn out to be after I am finished. I can't wait for you guys to catch up to me-- that'll be so much fun!

**Send me a REVIEW IF YOU WANT MORE!!**

Please Enjoy!

-Luky

…

**Chapter Three:**

…

Welcome Home

…

…

…

The rhythmic beeping sound was the first thing she became aware of.

It startled her and all of her instincts told her the popping noise was the sound of Leon's gun fire, and instinctively she tried to turn and to duck away from the fire as he had always instructed her to do. Sometimes she did it too much and he'd get mad, but in the end, she didn't need to get in the way of his gunfire anyway. If it hadn't been for her instinctive ducking, she wouldn't have made it out of there alive.

As she tried to duck now, she felt something jerk her legs into a strange position and she twisted trying to free herself from whatever it was that was containing her. But the "gunshots" seemed… too robotic to be real gunshots even as it rapidly started to increase, faster and faster. It seemed that it was something else as it gradually sped up matching the sharp pace of her stuttered breathing.

She began to panic as her movements become more and more restrained. She struggled to free herself yet the more she struggled the less she was able to move. She opened her mouth to scream but was unable to hear her own voice. She cried out, a very real fear enveloping her heart and terror plumed within her. She grappled at her legs unable to detach them from their restraints.

"Leon! Leon! Help me Leon!!" she cried, trying to break free from that which held her immobile. Desperation gushed through her as she reached out blindly with her arms to grab at something, anything, that she could ground herself on. She was blind in all this darkness and it made her even more childlike in her terror. But something was terribly wrong and she had to get out of here so she could find out what it was.

"Something's wrong, Leon! I'm so _scared_…" she moaned, the awful sound of her voice swelling through her and frightening her more as it changed and distorted in her ear-- a loud, ringing sound rising up to wash out the sound of the pulsing beeping sound. She began to shake, convulsing as she felt her chest seemingly burst into spasms of fire-like pain that ate away at her flesh and made her puke stomach acid all over herself.

She jerked as something touched her on her arm. It wasn't like the normal touch she felt when she dreamed-- it wasn't strong like Leon's touch was when he was trying to comfort her in her sleep-- this touch felt like caution and concern, not strength. She could tell the emotions behind the touch through her pain as if she had recently acquired a third eye that could read the emotions of those it wanted to. The touch sent tendrils of fear and pain through her as she drew away from the contact.

Clutching at her chest she felt it slick with some kind of fluid-- her puke? Or was it blood? She felt another burst of agony as she doubled over, effectively trapped in the darkness. Confusion spilled out from her eyes as tears as she moaned in pain, her eyes beginning to roll into the back of her head as she felt her face suddenly snap to the side-- stinging intensely.

Startled, she screamed and twisted away, her eyes opening widely as she rolled away from the feeling and scurried around in a tangled mess of bed sheets until her backside pressed against the cold steel of the bed rail. She gasped, light flooding her terror filled vision as her eyes took in all her surroundings as she realized where she was. She wasn't trapped. She wasn't.

"Ashley, do you know where you are?" said a friendly voice of a pleasant looking woman standing beside what she assumed was her bed. She swept her gaze around the room, her every instinct screaming at her to run-- but run to where? The sound of the rhythmic gun shots was still sounding and she turned, her eyes falling onto the beeping green machine to her right… a heart monitor. Not bullets… no more bullets. She didn't know if she'd ever be able to hear a bullet shot ever again.

"It okay," the woman said again, lifting one perfectly manicured hand to the monitor to put it on mute, "it's just a heart monitor. We were alerted that your heart rate was jumping higher then we should and I was sent in to check on you. Were you dreaming again, Ashley?" she asked, but Ashley wasn't paying attention yet.

The remaining vestiges of the dream were fading so fast that she was only left feeling hollow, her chest burning oddly and to almost to assure herself that the pain was real she pressed one hand against her heart where it was thundering loudly within her. She tried to shake the fear, the utter horror that was sweeping over her from her dream but she couldn't immediately shake it off even as he gradually faded to the back of her mind.

She was in a hospital. Her family's private hospital which she recognized from her private visits she'd made to this exact room during her childhood. She recognized the building and the room. There was a large rectangular window with bullet proof glass that was a two way window to her right. It was specifically designed for people visiting the hospital to avoid any unwanted attention to whatever situation they were facing. It also offered a lovely view on one of the prettiest gardens she'd ever seen.

"Ashley, we are in your family's private hospital-- do you remember that? We are in your private suite, the one that you've loved since you were a little girl. You were here when you broke your arm riding your bike, do you remember that?" she asked. The memories were fading… the dream was fading. The dread was slowly slipping away like a thief in the night; disappearing with what remaining sanity she could claim she had.

She remembered this place… she remembered the room and she vaguely remembered coming here to visit when she was sick and when she had broken her arm. It was starting to relax her and she felt her heart slowly going back to its normal pace as the dream completed disappeared from her memory leaving her feeling oddly silly to be massaging her chest as she was.

She looked dully at the sheets she'd been sleeping with and saw that they had been tangled around her legs while she'd been kicking and trying to free herself from…what? Shamefully she turned towards the women who had spoken to her. She immediately noticed the obscene sized black rimmed glasses that adorned the woman's face. They seemed to make her eyes seem larger then they should, and the green pools were wide, and concerned. She seemed friendly but she was still a little frightened, despite her familiar surroundings.

"Ashley?" said the women, whom she could only assume was the doctor judging from her long white coat and clipboard, "My name is Dr. Midori and I am a private psychiatrist on contract with the government to treat higher up officials, such as yourself. Do you remember breaking your arm?" She tried to move her lips to respond but she couldn't control her incredible shaking. The woman was stepping closer but as she did Ashley couldn't help but involuntarily jerk away, the IV in her hand snagging on a twisted cable causing her yelp in sudden pain.

"Here, let me help you!" cried the woman who came over quickly and detangled her from the twisted cords. Ashley watched her, her heart rate monitor spiking silently in the background, "You should be careful, that's bound to be uncomfortable on your hand-- and we don't want it to hurt you. You've already mangled the one we'd put in your other hand…" she finished, straightening her IV. Dimly she looked down to her other hand and saw a jagged wound amidst all the bruising she'd already sustained in Spain.

The doctor sighed, looking a little uncomfortable before turning to the heart monitor behind her. It was the thing in the room that was moving-- even the view of the outside seemed as still as death. She wondered about how she had oddly chosen to describe the beautiful scene outside and decided that it was best to try and focus on the doctor who was so desperately trying to get her attention.

"I'm sorry, you… you surprised me…Doctor… I remember breaking my arm but how did I get here now? Where is Leon?" she said, bowing her head, feeling confused and on edge. Her first thought was of Leon as her eyes dropped to the fashionable hospital gown that was draped thinly over her body. She was naked underneath, she could tell, and from the feel of her body, she'd received some kind of bird bath-- or possibly had bathed herself somehow, but not very well. She certainly didn't feel clean, but she felt better then she had in…

"What day is it?" she asked, looking up at the doctor who had turned to address her after she had spoken. She looked sympathetic still, if not worried. She knew that she must have seemed deranged… but she felt very foggy-- as if she had just awoken from a deep, deep sleep. She was a still a little uncertain of her surroundings and didn't know this doctor.

"You have been in America for four days since agent Kennedy brought you home. You've been asleep the whole time. You look like you went through a great ordeal while you were gone and if you agree, I'd like to talk to you about that…" she said and looked at the girl intently, monitoring her response. Ashley simply looked down at the sheets, her fingers playing her checkerboard gown like she always did with her clothing when she was nervous.

"And about Le-- agent Kennedy? Where is he?" she asked, looking up to the doctor and trying to look innocent. All the memories, everything was flooding back into her mind about what had happened. Her burning need for the man, not to mention what she had said to him… everything was rushing around her head and she couldn't help but blush-- even as she tried to hide the expression.

"Agent Kennedy is currently debriefing his agency about the events that transpired in Spain. You won't have to worry about sharing your story if you don't want to. He insisted that you be treated first before anyone was to question you. He was…" she said, eyeing the blush that darkened her cheeks further still, "concerned about your mental health and well being. He persisted until we relented and took you from quarantine. We've been monitoring you ever since."

"When will he be able to leave-- when will I be able to see him?" she asked, clutching at her chest where she felt vulnerable against the harsh cotton cloth. Quarantine? He was concerned about her, that is what the doctor had said and if that was so maybe he did care enough about her. Her side of the story? She'd rather never even think about it again-- but what were they doing with Leon? Debriefing?

"I really must speak with him-- there were so many things I didn't get to say!" she cried her mind going blank with desperation. She hadn't been a moment without Leon where she hadn't been in danger and as much as she longed to trust this doctor… there were lots of people that were trying to kill her. Not to mention, she wanted to see him. She felt so weak and alone without him.

What would she do if she never saw him again, never said thank you for what he had done for her. What if she never got to apologize for trying to push him into bed with her?

'I want to thank him for saving me.' she thought sadly, bowing her head.

The doctor came around the bed and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder, lightly patting her so as to not hurt her further. Her wounds, while not too severe needed to be healed. She had several cuts and bruises all over her body, especially on her knees, elbows, shoulder blades. Leon Kennedy had done a hell of a job bringing the kid back-- but she had hairline fractures in her wrists and elbows from light impacts, almost broken limbs.

'He better be damn proud she came back this good otherwise he'd be in a world of difficulties right now. It's really a miracle they both made it out alive.' she thought to herself and despite everything felt a little glimmer of shame as she thought about the poor girl.

"We really shouldn't be worrying too much about him right now. I'm sure you'll be seeing him again, so don't worry. But in lighter news, I have someone here that is incredibly excited to see you now that we have deemed you medically fit. I'm sure you'd just love to see him… Somebody who has been very worried about you and who personally sent agent Kennedy to help you…" she trailed off and looked to the other side of the room.

Ashley's eyes widened as she turned to look behind her where the doctors eyes had moved, towards the wall where, next to gigantic picture of a daughter sitting on the shoulder of who could only be the little girls father-- and next to it was a door that has just begun to open. The creek of metal hinges was nothing to mute her cry of utter joy as her father stepped forward, tears in his eyes as he rushed over to his daughter, arms outstretched.

"Daddy!" she cried, practically jumping from the bed into her father's big warm arms. It was as if she had never seen him-- as if she had died and God had given her a second chance-- a chance to see him one more time. She wept against his shoulder as he hugged her as close to him as he could, her blond hair draping across his face and his white hair.

"My little Ash-bear! My darling! My baby" he cried and carried, half dragged, her to the bed, her arms weak with joy and relief around his burly neck. She kept crying even as he kissed her face-- his huge, shaking hands smoothing away her hair from her face. She laughed as she peered into the eyes that were so different then her own and felt her heart take flight with happiness.

"DAAAHHHHHHHDDDDDEEEEEE!" She wailed suddenly, collapsing into a torrent of tears against his bright red sweatshirt.

The president rocked back and forth like a wounded child, holding his daughter and crying tears of joy. He couldn't stop mumbling…"He brought my baby back to me… he brought her back… Dear God he brought her home…" and they stayed that way for several minutes.

Quietly the doctor realized that they probably would want some private time alone so she slipped out of the door and closed it shut softly behind her, monitoring Ashley's behavior through a two way mirror the president had only moments before been watching Ashley battling her night terrors.

…

…

…

It hadn't been easy to carry her out of the water with people rushing up to him trying to ask him what they were doing-- if they needed help-- and of course the sick people who had to take pictures so they could post it online as fast as they could. It was a surprise for the offer, but they soon began to recognize her as the president's daughter and shouted it out to the others.

He'd even had to slam his elbow into the face of a reporter who seemed to warp out of a different dimension and appear suddenly on the spot. He didn't care about the young guy's nose as he felt it splitter under the force of his blow. The asshole deserved it.

Getting out of there hadn't been too hard. The agency had dispersed men with cars along the eastern coast to help out with their arrival since they had no idea from which direction they were going to be coming from and so they were already standing by. Complete strangers dove into the crowd and helped lead him towards the waiting vehicles. He had been very careful, pulling Ashley in close to his body so that her hair obscured her face from view.

It didn't really help though. Since she had been beside her father in several different television debates and fund raisers, she was well known. Somehow he'd managed to miss out on all that fun stuff-- he'd mostly been spending the time training at the Academy and while he was there getting his newest assignment he didn't think he'd be wading up on the beach with her limp body draped over his arms.

It had pissed him off when they tried to put her in a second car without him. Not like he cared about her at all, 'not really' he told himself-- he just didn't want to jeopardize his mission until she had been delivered straight into the hands of his superior, plus she was a health hazard according to protocol. One man had tried to take her from his arms, which he immediately kicked in the knee, sending him to the ground in an instant. He was technically their superior so he addressed them in a loud, clear voice:

"She rides with me until the mission has been completed." he had said, addressing the four standing men that had encircled him, "missions orders. You've been instructed on policy, let's get us out of here now!" he barked and promptly put her inside of the car, gently laying her against the dark black leathered interior and immediately hopping in after her.

He hadn't had the chance to show it, but concern had streaked through him when she fainted. Was she injured still? He reached over to touch her cheek and felt her skin burning to the touch. 'She must have some kind of fever… could it be an adverse reaction to having the Las Plagas removed?' he wondered as he lifted her slender wrist in his hand to check her pulse. He didn't have a watch-- his had broken.

He studied her features, his eyes gazing upon her half parted lips. They were chapped but still beautiful and he wondered what in the world she could possibly be thinking about him. What could possibly make her persist after all the times he'd pushed her away? He couldn't understand it and it was getting hard-- too hard for him to control himself around her. He'd be glad when this mission was over with and when he could reassigned.

She was so young… but obviously matured in body-- he'd known that. And she had an innocent, and irritating, part of her that simply got to him in ways he refused to understand. His luck with women had always been bad and he wanted no part of this one when he already had lost and continued to be confused by all others.

'Still…' he thought, reaching for her, 'she's a lot stronger then she is given credit for. I wouldn't have made it if it wasn't for the mission. If it wasn't for her I wouldn't have been able to make it out of there on my own.'

His hand reached up to dance his fingers along the line of her throat where her pulse still beat rapidly and he felt a burst of lust as she gasped at his touch. The two agents that were sitting in the car with them gave each other a look at her reaction to his touch but looked away. It seemed that they both respected their privacy and despite their orders, he wasn't doing her any harm-- and he was their superior regardless.

He felt the lust curl lazily in his gut as he imagined all the things they could have done together. From her actions towards him, he knew they'd be great together and he almost regretted having to say no to her offer… It was too much for her. She was a kid and he was a man-- and she was the president's daughter which complicated things to a degree that was almost worse then his relationship with Ada.

Scooting closer to her, he pulled her against his shoulder and signaled to one of the men to give him his coat to cover her with and they immediately obliged, shedding the coat and handing it over. Covering her with it he slipped it around her narrow shoulders and tucked a lock of blond hair behind her ear fondly as she seemed to sigh at his touch.

It took almost two hours to reach the facility but they were there faster then he knew it and then they were out of the car again; Ashley slumped in his arms and covered in the black coat. They rushed him towards the entrance and nurses wearing hazmat suits led each of the men, including the other five men that had been exposed to them into a separate hallway lined in several doors.

Quarantine.

He'd have to let Ashley go after all.

He reluctantly placed Ashley in the arms of a hazmat suited man, and watched as he and another, presumably a women carried her into a room. Another followed him into the room directly next to hers. As soon as he entered he began to strip as sanitation spray scorched his skin and seemed to burn him. He hated this part and was grateful he'd only had to do it one other time in his life.

The hazmat suited government official spoke to him as he was showered and cleaned with the steaming watery solution which he knew was so much more then water. He reluctantly wondered how Ashley was doing, or if she was even aware of what was going on. He secretly prayed she didn't wake up during the process, he was certain it would give her quite the fright.

"Agent Kennedy you are scheduled a debriefing at 14:00 hours via a wireless communication device that you will find within your quarantine room. You've been informed of the procedures?"

"Yes yes… I know. What are they doing with Ashl-- the president's daughter?" he asked, turning shamelessly towards the person and addressing them with intensity. He had to yell over the sound of the spray and his voice already hurt from lack of water. Just as he started to speak the spray shut off and he was ushered into a new room where he walked in alone and the door shut behind him.

Circulated air in the room was blasted against his body drying him quickly. The warm air didn't do anything to ease his thirst but he was intent on hearing their response. From behind two feet of bullet proof glass the sound of miniature speakers imbedded in the walls echoed as the person said, "She will be detained as normal. We cannot risk infection of the Las Plagas. Excellent work Agent Kennedy… this will all be over soon." and turned to leave.

He watched the retreating back of the hazmat suited man until he could no longer see him. Then he turned, his hair blowing against his face rapidly until the winds turned off. Stepping into the third and final room he saw a the familiar white tiles of the cell he'd been confined in for three months the last time he'd been in quarantine. They were all the same it seemed-- nothing had changed in the six years since he'd been in one of these.

'I wonder what they are going to do with Ashley', he thought as he walked over to the makeshift bed where a fresh pair of scrubs were sitting as well as a fresh pair of underwear. He dressed and then sat on his bed. His mind wondered to his future briefing. He knew that it wouldn't be too soon-- there was too much clearance for something like that. He had to wait at least 24 hours for the order to be issued, and security clearance to see the "infested" granted for his superiors.

It was going to be a long time in this little prison without any company. The last time he'd been here he had volunteered, not even realizing that it wasn't a volunteering type of event-- he just had gone in quietly. Now after years of training he was more aware of what precautions the government wanted to take when it came to the country-- and the President.

"Protect the president's daughter huh? Whatever…" he said as he leaned back against the bed remembering the first time he had been told what he was supposed to do. Protect the president's daughter-- basically follow her wherever she went, be it the mall, the school, or porn store-- he had to follow her there. He'd been okay with that, but the idea of spending 24 hours a day watching the girl was enough. He'd been given help in the late evenings so he could have the time to himself.

He was eager for the mission despite the idea of having to protect her from dangerous, horny college boys or stopping her from suffocating on her own puke at a party-- he'd expected it to be simple and rewarding. Who knew, he might even like having to spend the entire time with the girl. He hadn't thought about protecting another woman until this point-- obviously doing so had been a dangerous mistake.

But he'd had that picture of her from the start and it had served him as reminder, even before he met her. It seemed to say to him; "Look at me… I have a life and it means something to people-- it means something to live and I need you to help me." It just so happened he needed to protect her more then he knew. Who would have thought things would have turned out like this?

Eyeing the ceiling again he realized he was quiet tired and he knew he'd have hours to wait until they came to him. It had been a long time over in Spain and the ride on the Jet Ski hadn't been easy so he closed his eyes trying to hide from the light-- to rest. But the light showed through his closed eyes making his vision swim in a sea of red so he placed an arm over his eyes to make the light go to black, as he was accustomed to.

Within minutes he felt drowsy… and soon after, he fell asleep.

…

…

…

It looks like I've established Leon as the typical asshole with a pinch of nice guy in him in the way I've described him as being a creature of lust towards Ashley but let's think of this realistically. Leon's attention as far as romantically is divided between two woman and we all know he has to luck with woman so it isn't entirely impossible to fathom that his initial reaction to Ashley would be physically. The nice guy is there too, and we'll be developing more emotions while everything is going on. I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I loved it. Daddy is important too so keep in touch about their separation since it is important. Ah… it is so nice to be setting the groundwork for the plot so earlier on…

**REVIEW for more if you WANT it.**

Edit: 7/3/2008

-Luky


	4. Nightmares

Writing this chapter was a fun prospect. We've got lots of flashbacks in store for all my readers and hopefully they will provide an insight, or a similarity between characters that are important to the story. See, the difficulty about writing a continuation like this is you have to somehow bring the characters, who were otherwise in a very stressed environment, into something that is normal and establish a "normal" mode for them to be in. They are out of danger and if anyone has studied psychology, this change in people from a bad situation back to a normal creates two different faces to a person. I've got three to work with in this story and establishing something as intricate like that requires a strong influence on the characters actions that we DO know about.

That means lots of flashbacks and memories. I hope you like my interpretation of them!

Please enjoy!

-Luky

…

**Chapter Four:**

…

Nightmares

…

…

…

"_Leon! What happened? You're bleeding!" came a cry and the thunder of footfall against the metal grates he was currently sitting on, each vibration jostling him and making his wound hurt worse. He was leaning against a wall, one hand over his chest; blood seeping thru his spread fingers where his had was pressed against a gun wound. He was younger… much younger and it was his first day on the job. His first day in Raccoon city, in this hell, bleeding from the chest and only one clip left of bullets._

_Claire leaned over him, coming to one knee at his side, her ponytail whipping about her face as she scanned him, searching with worried eyes over his wound. They had become unexpected friends in their fight for survival and together they had faced so many things, never mind the nerve wracking way they'd met each other. He was shocked to see her there, but was kind of relieved too. He was hurt but… _

"_I…" he started, groaning with effort as he tried to catch his breath, "I ran into this woman… who was in trouble…" he managed to say before he had to stop and breath deeply. Her concerned gaze swept over him, her eyes filled with a kind of hurried concern. She had a mission to do too-- but she cared enough about him that she wasn't going to simply forget his wound and not help him if he needed it._

"_Her names… Ada. Right after that someone tried to kill me-- nearly succeeded too. Ada went after the sniper…but I… I'm worried about her…" he said, grunting from pain. His vision was clearing at least and he was able to hold his breath a little better. It was nice to have a friend in all this confusion. He hadn't expected to be fighting zombies, or finding beautiful women on his first day at the job. It had been, quite the surprise…_

"_I've gotta find her before something happens-" he started as he leaned forward, trying to stand up. Claire made a sound of shock and not too lightly pushed him back. She wanted to be here with him, damn it, but she had her own agenda and Leon getting shot wasn't part of it. She needed to find her brother just the same as he needed to find this woman. Protecting something other then themselves was the only thing that motivated either of them to get out of this mess._

"_But you've been shot!?" she cried, pulling his hands back to examine the wound. It didn't look mortal, but then again neither of them was doctors and had no way to bandage it-- he certainly couldn't do it himself. And she knew from the look in his eyes that he was consumed with finding her-- he had to get back to that girl. She seemed like she was in such danger. From the moment he saw her he had wanted to help and protect her…_

_He groaned loudly as Claire gripped her sleeve in her teeth and with her free hand, pulled a huge strip of cloth free. Wrapping it around her four fingers she pressed it against his chest-- blood slowly soaking through-- it was warm to the touch and made her insides churn despite herself. She eyes him, admiring the determination she knew reflected in both their eyes._

"_I'll be okay… its Ada I'm worried about."_

…

He awoke to screams.

At first he thought he was the one screaming and that he was still in Raccoon city, screaming with pain over the wounds he'd received. Inside of him he felt his stomach quaking with eagerness and fear-- something he rarely experienced, if ever, and the combination made him feel a mixture of nausea and excitement. He distantly wondered if he was back in Raccoon city but that wasn't plausible either.

He sat up in his bed and was instantly aware of his surroundings. Years of training and waking in the middle of a gun fight had honed his skills to the point where he was able to figure out his whereabouts instantly, wherever he was. Only rarely did he actually wake up and not be concerned, and that didn't even apply to his own home.

This was no exception.

Within moments he realized he was actually in the quarantine room at a government facility where he and several other agents had gone after getting him off of the beach. He knew there was going to be dozens of other people in this same facility-- people that he had come in contact with while on the beach as well as Ashley. Anyone he'd encountered could have been the one wailing but somehow he knew that wasn't the case.

The screams were more familiar then he'd have liked them to be. He was still in quarantine and it couldn't have been more then a few hours since he had fallen asleep. He recognized the voice instantly and felt a roll of dread wash over him at the high pitched shriek. It was something he thought he'd only have to hear in HIS nightmares after he'd gotten out of Spain let alone once he'd returned.

It was Ashley and she was wailing at the top of her lungs-- fear dripping from the strained tone of her voice. Had something happened to her that he didn't know about? How could he have possibly heard her through the walls in this facility? He must be crazy to think he could hear her from all the way in here. It was hard to imagine that he'd be able to hear here through all the different thicknesses in the walls he knew surrounded them.

Why could she have been screaming? He couldn't help but give weight to the irrational fear that maybe something truly terrible was happening. It wasn't hard to imagine that something had gone wrong when they'd removed the parasite but the thought of that made him almost as terrified as she sounded. But there was no way there would be complications with her if he hadn't had any problems. He suffocated that notion instantly.

He leapt from his bed and was instantly aware of his throbbing body screaming in agony at the movement. He hadn't realized he was so sore until just now but the pain was something he'd live through- and he was more concerned over Ashley's pain. He instantly put it behind him and ran to the wall, banging on it frantically, a sense of desperation he hadn't known he had enveloping him like a cloud of darkness, squeezing his heart further and further with each horrific scream.

"Ashley! Ashley! Follow Me! Follow the sound of my voice!" he yelled as loud as he possibly could, his hands smashing against the tiles, his voice hoarse from yelling and thirst. He still hadn't drank anything and he found his throat was parched-- but he yelled back to the girl regardless. It was hard not to want to seek her out to sooth her nightmares but he was trapped in this hole right next to her, unable to do anything and he knew it.

Her bloodcurdling scream seemed to reverberate through the entire building and he paced, sure that there was no way for him to get to her. Why did he care-- he was done with this mission. But those kinds of screams… that utter panic… It wasn't something he'd heard from her yet, at least not like this-- not like this.

He'd dealt with this many times in Spain and he'd try to wake her long before it became an issue considering they were almost always in a compromised situation where any alert to their enemies could end whatever brief amount of rest they might be able to have. It had been a necessary function and he always cured it the best way he knew how… Thinking about it now made him more nervous since he knew he was probably being recorded and watched.

His heart twisted again as the screams increased in urgency, and began to shape into words-- a word. He strained to understand it but there was no way to tell. He knew her adjoining quarantine room would be along side this wall and so he pressed his ear against the tiles. He knew there had to be at least 8 feet of space separating them but he felt the need to be as close as he possibly could to her.

Being close to her always seemed to be the cure for this kind of problem and since the wall was the closest thing he could get to in this situation that's where he hovered, his body tensed as adrenaline was pumped rapidly through his veins. For a brief instant he wondered if he could beat through the wall to get to her but dismissed the notion. If he tried something like that he'd likely end up with broken knuckles and wrists.

'I needed her just as much as she needs me now but I can't do anything about it…' he thought morbidly as he remembered how much he had needed her in Spain for certain things. If she hadn't of been there for a lot of trials-- he wouldn't have made it out alive, let alone her. It didn't seem fair that after everything they had gone through together that she would continue to be plagued by nightmares after all she had done to help him remain sane.

She was so many things he couldn't be when faced with a trial-- dedication wasn't enough. She was the surprisingly calming effect on him when they were faced with a puzzle and when his lack of sleep distorted his mind and made it harder for him to determined puzzles they'd collaborated together to find the solution. You had to have a purpose to survive and he had nobody but her and his job.

People were working on the other side of that wall. They were watching him, and watching Ashley. What in the world could they be doing to her or were they doing anything?? Had she managed to still have some of the parasite within her? He had done the electric surgery on his own and there was nothing he had seen in her scan-- that was a silly notion but the fear couldn't stop from unearthing within him. He rejected it again-- he was starting to feel horrible paranoid.

He wasn't sure of why that terror seemed to surge through him but the thought of another women dying because of him… Not Ashley. She was too pure it seemed-- nothing like his first thoughts when he thought of a college girl. He hadn't expected anyone as smart nor as sweet as her-- but she had a serpents tongue too, which made her sexy as hell. Sharp wit was always a plus when it came to woman.

He just couldn't let her die. He wouldn't. Sharp wit or not, she was still a girl-- a girl trapped in a dream of her greatest fears, screaming for someone, anyone to help her. It was as if she was still in Spain. God-- he hated this sound even then but now it seemed even more real and even more terrifying. They had escaped from her very first hell and it seemed he hadn't managed to get her out of all of it.

He screamed her name repeatedly, bashing on the wall and calling for someone to respond to him-- to tell him what was happening but of course there was no response. It was after another minute or more that he realized she was screaming-- but it wasn't the nonsensical screams she had made in Spain but screams that resembled his name. She was screaming for him.

…

"_Ashley!" he cried, recognized the girl in the picture as the subject-- the president's daughter. He rushed towards her but had to dodge a wayward stick as the girl chucked it at him in defense, yelling at him, "Don't come!" with a shrill voice that was instantly annoying. He remembered thinking she was a lot prettier in person… but surpassingly he didn't like the hair-- and he didn't like the jumbo ears._

_She fell, cowering into a corner, an animalistic look of fear on her dirt smeared face. How long she had been up here, in the heat, without food or water, he didn't know, but she looked smaller then he'd imagined too-- and he hadn't thought that she would have thrown the stick at him. He knew she could be delirious from the trip but it was more important to take control of the situation then to worry about her immediate mental state. _

_Plus if she had enough sense to run that meant she was a fighter and from the looks of things around this crazy place he'd need more of that. He didn't think dogs could seriously be so scary but he vowed never to own another one after just seeing what he just had._

"_No! Get AWAY!" She cried as he stepped closer to her trying to be as careful as possible. It was one hell of a way to get close to your newest assignment as a bodyguard. He didn't think he'd end up here chasing after the girl when he'd made that bet with his friend to decide who would protect the president and who would protect the daughter. Damn it all to hell, he had some poor luck that was for sure-- it was a damn good thing he didn't gamble… at least he never would again._

"_Calm down." he said as calmly as possibly, reverting to the hostage tone he'd always learned in training but had rarely had to use, "Everything is going to be just fine. My name's Leon. I'm under the Presidents order to rescue you--"_

"_What?" she interrupted him, her face brightening beneath the soot and revealing some of the personality he had seen in the picture he had been given to find the girl with. He had studied that picture, memorizing the lines of her face… for the mission of course… and hadn't left a single strand out of his memory. "My father?" she questioned, her brown eyes boring into his from the ground where she sat, her knees sprawled out, her green skirt flared around her hips._

"_That's right. And I have to get you out of here. Now come with me!" he had said as she stood and began to follow him. As they made their way down the ladder she babbled question after question about her father without him really answering anything. She mostly expressed her relief, her fear-- and what awful things they had been doing to her. He distantly wondered if her virtue was intact, but he decided against questioning it._

"_Leon…" she said, stopping in her tracks and curling her fingers into her skirt. She bit her lip and Leon felt a wave of protectiveness and annoyance sweep over him as he stopped too and turned to address her. There was urgency in her voice, and a quiet fear. "Please… I know I'm probably not your ideal mission but-- I'm scared to be alone here. I'm so scared…so don't leave me…" her lips trembled and Leon instantly felt the urge to scoff at her childish omission of fear. But she was a harmless kid, not a Secret Service agent like him-- it was only natural._

_He couldn't help but feel a glimmer of pity for the girl. The United States didn't negotiate with terrorists. The most they did was sending out people just like him-- president's daughter or not. If he didn't get her out of here, she'd become a bargaining chip that would be met with an empty hand. In that way, he knew he wasn't going to fail this time-- he was going to save them both otherwise she'd be abandoned to a cause that showed no mercy._

"_I promise won't leave you alone…" he promised her, unaware of the sudden appearance that one of the villains was going to make and with a smile and a comforting pat on her shoulder he said, "We're leaving here together."_

…

"Agent Kennedy, please respond." The screams hadn't stopped but a voice sounded in his room, reverberating off of the walls causing his head to ache. Surprisingly the voice was shaking with concern and… unspoken fears. It shocked him from his memory and he turned his head away from the wall and looked around the room to the source of the voice. It was the intercom that was speaking to him and he found that he didn't recognize it.

"Yes. Ashley is having another dream isn't she?" he spat, not even bothering to refer to her as anything else. When the girl is screaming his name, doesn't that make it more personal? "What is she doing right now?" he asked, the professionalism in his tone belaying the urgency he felt.

"The president's daughter is unable to be restrained and she is unresponsive to voice recognition. Speaking to her hasn't worked and her vitals show that she is still asleep-- if we give her a dose of sleeping medication it could put her into a Coma. She appears to be awake but she is simply dreaming. She is acting as if she is once again in Spain and we are uncertain of how to calm her down-- do you have any ideas agent..?"

He groaned inward, afraid of this too. She was dreaming again that was obvious by the echo of screams he heard distantly behind him. She had dreamed many times during their escape during what few naps she was able to grasp. Those had been uncomfortable moments for him that he wasn't willing to share with others-- but if it meant her well being versus his pride..?

Nightmares plagued her each time she rested… and he was always there when she woke up-- always there to hold her until she stopped kicking and screaming. She said she couldn't sleep when she wasn't with him. She said it was impossible for her to actually close her eyes for a moment and feel safe enough to try and rest. And what little rest she did get was constantly interrupted by gunfire and so much more…

"_I feel so much safer when I am with you Leon…" she said with a hesitant smile on her face. She was blushing, he could tell, as she spoke, "I actually feel like we might live through this because of you…" And she had smiled so shyly that he felt his heart jerk at the thought of what she said. He couldn't help the pride that glowed in him at that comment._

"Listen," he interrupted the voice over the intercom, "you get Ashley out of here. She's not infected with anything I assure you. You'll find nothing wrong with her but you can keep me here if you're uncertain. You have to get her to a hospital, around familiar surroundings-- she's going to break if you keep her locked up and alone in a cell like this. She hasn't been prepped for this kind of isolation after her ordeal!" he yelled, unsure what volume would be picked up by the microphones.

"We'll see what we can do. Meanwhile, we need you to transfer rooms and attempt to subdue the girl-- can you do it?" the voice asked, and he shook his head yes. Admittedly, he knew exactly how to stop her nightmares, but it was a question of what he was willing to do in front of the cameras. He was already going to be leaving out quite a bit of his report due to more… uh… personal issues.

"We cannot put a hazmat suit into the quarantine room. We have orders for you to transfer rooms. Your next assignment came sooner then you thought, didn't it?" the voice asked and he felt a thought pop into his head. He heard himself agreeing without realizing it and heading towards the door in quick strides-- his next mission was just like his first one-- he had to do everything he could to extract the little girl from her problems. Such a shame her only problem now was her own mind.

"Fine. How do we do this?" he asked, standing by the door. A moment later it slid open to show him the air drying room, the door leading to the sanitizing room open already. Inside the room there was a hazmat suit of his own that he was certain he had to put on. He followed the instructions on how to put the suit on and once everything was snapped into place he was about to close the latch on the face plate when they told him that he would not be hooked to any type of air supply. Her screams were still just as loud, but dulled and unintelligent at this point and he gulped in a deep breath of air snapping everything in place and watching the door slide open to the hallway.

By the time he had gotten through all the rooms towards hers he had already stripped out of the hazmat suit to reveal his lovely attire. He withheld the urge to tap his foot impatiently as he waited for the door to her room to respond. Finally, as the door opened to her quarantine room he felt horror wash over him as he stepped through the threshold and saw the most pitiful sight he had ever seen yet.

Ashley was screaming in horror, her eyes closed tightly, and her hands over her ears, her face twisted in such fear that she looked almost like she was possessed by a demon that was trapped in her head. He raced forward, his heart heavy and his arms stretched out towards her in fear. As he came closer he saw her face was scrunched up and red from her wailing. He ran, coming to his knees before her and scooping her up into his arms.

"Ashley! I'm here!" he cried, his voice hoarse and filled with desperation and as his skin touched hers he felt an intense heat flushing up his skin. Her body went limp at the sound of his voice and her eyes opened widely as her face turned towards his. He pulled her against him, burying her face against his chest, wrapping his arms around her.

She gasped, her body rolling in his arms and her hand clenching and unclenching against his chest. He crushed her against him… it wasn't the first time this had happened, but he had hoped had seen the last. He couldn't imagine how she would feel waking up in this hollow dungeon after she had escaped so much. Waking up in this place would only increase her fear-- and without him she wouldn't know who to believe or what was going on.

He looked down at her face, forcing his tongue to still as he ached to speak to her in soft tones like he usually did when she was dreaming. He could tell she was asleep because of the vacate stare that she gave-- unseeing and unable to focus on anything in particular. He was able to sleep with his eyes open too- but it was weird for her to be able to do it. She almost looked as if she was possessed.

He could feel the heat radiating from her body seeping into his skin. He shook with the effort to control his emotions that seemed to be breaking free from him. He was torn between the people who were watching and his need to quiet her nightmares, to silence her screams in the only way he knew how. In a very real way she needed him to protect her body, but also her mind. It was the same way that he needed her to protect his sanity, despite always running in the way of his bullets. It was an intense feeling of duty and responsibility that he hadn't faced with any other woman, except Ada.

"Ashley…" he said softly, stroking her head in a calming motion, "Ashley… I am here. Your not alone I promise. Were going to get out of here together…" he whispered in his ear, trying to stay away from the mini microphones that were intent on capturing every word spoken in that room. It was true, they were going to get out of here-- but if he had any pull after the dangerous mission he'd completed, then she'd be leaving first and they wouldn't be leaving together. He pulled her closer, her breathing erratic, her body drooping against his arms.

"I don't hate you…" he paused and stopped, almost unwilling to acknowledge what she had whispered before passing out earlier. He was unwilling to believe it was a reality. Was it real? Probably not but she believed it. He couldn't accept that she would feel that way about him but he knew that fighting her feelings for him now would do no good for her. He wouldn't have to worry about acknowledging her feelings soon enough but for now he would use those feelings to his advantage. To use them as best he could, if only for right now. If only for this one moment he'd do it-- for her.

'Whatever it takes to help her…' he thought, willing to let a part of his objectivity fade away if only for a moment. Just for this moment he'd let his heart do the talking. He'd do what he needed to get her to quiet-- to relax. She was likely to give herself a heart attack if he didn't do something--

…

"_Leon…" she mumbled dazedly, her head lolling on her neck as her body arched against his, entirely limp with fatigue, "don't hate me…please?" she whispered, her eyes focusing and un-focusing on his face. Looking at her made him wonder if she was still mad at him for not taking up on her offer, despite wanting to-- but he'd known there were so many things that simply didn't work between them, things that could never work. As much as either of the may want it, a relationship between the two of them wasn't possible._

_She spoke again, trying her best to say what she needed to say before passing out in his arms, "I…". She was trembling in his arms and he was wondering if she was too sick to manage what she was trying to say. He contemplated hushing her but she started to speak and her next words made Leon's heart stop in his chest if only for a moment:_

"_Leon… I… I… love you…"_

…

"…and I care about you too… Ashley… you can relax…" she had been moaning lightly, her eyes rolling into the back of her head… but she was gradually getting softer and softer so he continued speaking to her, trying to feel her pulse but only getting his. "I'm not going to leave you again, I promise…" he whispered, his breath feathering over her cheek.

He knew damn well that he wanted to protect her but that wasn't going to be a possibility. He was fighting with his emotion now-- torn between caring, in whatever way he did for her, and his need to get away from her-- to free himself of his addiction to women he simply failed to save. Women like Ashley… and Ada… These were the kinds of woman that couldn't be protected. He hated that he'd agreed to work for the president's daughter. He shouldn't have gambled his well being on a game of rock, paper, and scissors-- shoot.

'Damn it…' he thought.

Not to mention he was just beginning to react to her body pressing against his. He felt terrible for feeling passion streak through him, and shame, considering her condition. But he had to face it-- he was a man in the end, and he'd only have to get her calmed and then he could insist on her release from quarantine when he gave his report at 14:00 hours. Get out of here so that she could go home to her father-- to people who _could_ love her.

Without realizing it, while he was fighting to maintain control, she had fallen asleep peacefully in his arms. He looked down at her tear streaked face, her lashes damp and clumping together with moisture. He wanted to kiss those eyes that had wept for him-- cried out for him. And he almost wished… no he couldn't wish-- because that would complicate so much-- but if he could wish it would be a wish that he'd have the strength to maybe return her love someday-- or anybodies for that matter. He'd come close enough to failing her and he didn't want to be given the chance again-- he was done with protecting woman as far as he was concerned.

He carried her towards her bed, and set her on the sheets. He was certain this would be one of the last time he saw her for a long time, if ever again. He wished he could have at least told her how grateful he was for her strength while in Spain-- how strong she had been despite everything. If she managed to wake up before he got her out of here he'd try to let her know that he didn't hate her-- maybe she thought he hated her-- that might be the cause of her nightmares. Wouldn't it be nice if it was something as silly and meaningless as that? He would never be able to let anybody tell him that girls were frivolous creatures but he knew this wasn't the case here.

But if he could talk to her, he'd tell her that he wasn't trying to insult her by rejecting her offer. He just wanted to protect her and maybe himself too. It was hard for a man with his kind of past to depend on a woman for motivation, or anything-- when all they served for him in the past was an unpleasant reminder of what was going to happen if he failed.

Placing her on the sheets he gave her one last look on her face and smoothing her hair from her damp cheeks, he let a bit of emotion go as he let his finger linger on the soft skin that was not clean-- but was the cleanest he had seen it since they had left met in Spain. He knew sleeping on the bed with her wouldn't be appropriate-- and the door hadn't opened back up. They meant for him to stay.

"Damn it!" he cursed, sweeping his foot across the ground before sitting down against the small bed. Leaning against it he felt his senses tune into the sound of her rhythmic breathing. It was like the ocean, it seemed to sweep against him, pulling him towards her warmth and her obvious femininity. She seemed so innocent laying on the white sheets-- the hideous green of her clothing an obvious contrast from the pristine white of the room.

He couldn't help but feel like he was being watched, scrutinized intensely and he hated feeling like a damn lab rat. It was almost as if the people in charge of this facility thought it was funny to torture people like they were lab rats. He was surprised they hadn't started to hook the two of them up to machines to test them to see if any of the parasites remained. He wouldn't put it past the government to do that to them but he was relieved to know that it wasn't a likely case since everything between them was fine.

'Ashley…' he thought, peeking over his shoulder to peer at her face as he had done many times before, 'you weren't always scared were you? You were a happy student until now, weren't you?' His eyes softened, wondering if she'd ever know how much he really did care for her-- despite all the complications. It wasn't love… it couldn't be. But he cared in one way or another. He just had to let that go-- she had a normal life to return too, and he had three months of waiting that was going to feel like forever, to wait through.

He stopped, looking away from her and forcing all of his thoughts away-- including the raging growth he had evidently throbbing from between his legs-- not liking the thought path he was traveling-- thinking about the time only made it go by slower. Gritting his teeth he folded his arms and bowed his head-- determined to wake if she did and wishing he could take a cold shower.

…

…

…

So… this whole chapter is about Leon's feelings towards woman that he protects-- symbolic of his memory from Resident Evil 2 in the form of a dream. Claire mentions that they both needed something to protect if they were going to get out of here-- and it was true in Resident Evil 4 as well. Leon needed to protect Ashley in order to survive because it gave him a reason to do so. Now he's torn because he wants to protect Ashley and he's succeeded so far so he'd rather get away from her before he has a chance to fail her. This chapter is loaded with similarities between Ada and Ashley and the kind of man Leon is when it comes to protecting woman. Just think about it, they are much the same!

I am so glad to report that I have almost had 10 reviews for this chapter! Remember the goal is to get 10 or more! That is so awesome! Thank you everyone!

Edit: 7/4/2008

-Luky


	5. Released

This is an important chapter and I don't know about you guys but I've been hurting a lot for some good ole' fashioned fluff for our actual couple. They've been doing this little dance, interacting with a lot of other people and not each other because absence makes the heart grow fonder. Leon's feelings are developing but he's not willing to accept them yet and we've still got lots of flashbacks to deal with in the next few chapters. Next chapter is going to be a really good one and then we've only got a few more left before they meet again.

It's nice… I've got a steady average of around 5k a chapter so that's good but what I am really focusing on is setting up for so many things in the future. Things you won't even realize are important… are SO going to make you have an "ah ha" moment. Enjoy this chapter!

-Luky

…

**Chapter Five:**

…

Released

…

…

…

"Well, sitting in this shit hole isn't making my mood any better that's for damn sure." he said to himself, pacing in his cell from the toilet to the door. Nothing was more annoying then having your bathroom attached to your daily living area. He hated feeling like a caged animal, unaware of what the hell was going on the outside and having to live with his waste removal contraption only a few feet from where he showered and slept.

He'd been in the same room for nearly three months and he was getting tired of the same four walls-- thank God he was leaving today. His bed, his toilet and his shower were all linked into the same four walls without any means of a privacy screen or a shower curtain. He took a shower with careful eyes watching and monitoring every move he made-- he shit and had to stay in the same room with it, and although none of these things were bothering him yet, he was eager for a damn shower curtain at least. Eventually he'd ripped the bed sheet off of his bed and bathed with that, but he'd gotten in trouble for it.

'Whatever…' he thought, remembering the deep voice that had calmly told him to replace the sheet on the bed. There truly was noting like having your "man junk" for the whole world to see.

The walls were made up of pristine white tiles that were stacked perfectly on all sides around every crack and crevice. They were specially coated with anti acid coatings as well as other coatings to help prevent any form of chemicals to break down the tiles, not like he had any chemicals that were spewing from his orifices, and they used machines to open up holes in the wall-- a slab of tiles pushing forward to reveal an air sealed box where he received all his supplies.

The room was designed so that any contaminates that he had on him, or in him, would have one hell of a time getting out of the room. Not like that would stop anything he'd been in contact with but he was sure there wasn't anything wrong with him at this point. The floor was high enough up that the camera's that were constantly watching him were out of his reach, not like it matter much now-- he was getting out today.

He'd been fed basic rations that he'd survived on back in the earlier days-- military dishes that were devoid of flavor to help the combatants on the ground levels not to have an adverse reaction to the foods and hinder their ability to think clearly. Supposedly euphoria over a little salt was too damning for a man risking his life on the field-- but he didn't care about that either really, his mind was occupied on what had happened in the last few month since he'd been here.

He hated, absolutely hated, not knowing what was going on. Even when he was in Spain he could feel the bureaucratic hands turning, trying to manipulate the situation and now that he sat here in this stupid cell for so long, he knew damn well that they were most likely plotting away. Inspecting the wall he briefly wondered if it would hurt to take his frustration out on it.

Thinking back on his briefing he wondered if he'd done a good thing by omitting a few pieces of information as he had done. He had hidden some details-- details about him and Ashley that were best kept secret if it all possible. They didn't need to know any of that information, it wasn't crucial to what was going on in Spain and it certainly didn't have anything to do with his mission.

He'd also put aside some of the information regarding other things as well-- a few little details about Ada… Things he knew they didn't need to know were specifically cut. She didn't need to be on the wanted list of the entire United States and if there was one thing he could do for her, it would be to lie on her behalf despite everything that had happened between them…

…

"…_We were retrieved on the shoreline by five agents and were taken directly here at which time we proceeded, each of us, to our quarantine rooms to be sanitized. Mission objective completed at approximately 1130 hundred hours when subject Ashley Graham was delivered to quarantine facility. That concludes the report. Do you have any questions?" he stopped, taking a shallow breath._

_He'd stood up for the briefing and it had taken a little more then what seemed like an hour. He had a great sense of time when he could see the horizon… but he had a good idea based on all the information how much time had passed since he'd gone to Spain. It was rare that he never had a watch with him, or wasn't aware of the time… or his surroundings. In a place like this, time was endless._

"_One more question, Agent Kennedy. Use of the helicopter from agent Hunnigan was not recovered, were you able to get the pilot logs from the unit and destroy them?" the voice asked. _

"_No, but it was destroyed before the island was self destructed-- pilot Mike was unable to be saved as the enemy destroyed the helicopter. Upon escaping the island, charges that had been set by the third party were detonated. I was unable to ascertain whether or not any Las Plagas infested was alive after the explosion and I was unable to bring back a sample for testing purposes. All vestiges of invasion on Graham and me have been completed destroyed…" he stopped, remembering the way Ada had held a gun to his head and took the sample from him._

_She didn't want to kill him, he'd known that then even as she had placed the cold barrel against his pounding head, he felt certain of that fact. She was a damn spy. She was one hell of an infuriating woman-- playing his weakness and on his feelings for her- using him to get exactly what she wanted. It was so controlling that it almost made her seem more allusive… It was the only thing he couldn't have completed on his mission. Not when it meant battling Ada as well-- he couldn't have killed her for it. _

"_Very well. Again, good work. Your next orders are to complete the quarantine here at this facility for the reminder of the three month period. At the time of your release you will be allowed a short break where you can go at your leisure. Nothing is to be said about the events that transpired in Spain. You will report to the White House directly for your next briefing from the President of the United States when we summon you…"_

_He nodded, wondering distantly just how short of a break he'd be getting. Vacation time in his line of work was practically none existent. If your employer was killed while you were on vacation, you'd return home and have no job. There was no other way to work for someone as elusive as the president and still have life-- you lived in your job. It seemed just as well that as a man you'd live your life protecting a woman seeing how it was a necessary evil._

_Being in this room with her for the past few hours had been suffocating, he was unwilling to let his resolve weaken while around her… but it hurt him almost physically to deny himself the ability to reach over and touch her-- assure himself that she was still there and okay. It had taken all his resolve not to go over and hold her while she slept-- but they were watching every second of their encounter and he knew that. Letting them see the way he'd held her had been a mistake. He could very well lose his job. Luckily enough they hadn't asked him about his encounter with Ashley directly. _

_He'd lost her so many times and the frustration was something he didn't like-- but also the gnawing fear that she'd die the next time she disappeared was strong enough to make him shake with worry. He hated the sound of her dreams; he hated it so much that simply couldn't wait until he was able to be away from her. She was too much of a temptation for him, despite her being fast asleep._

_Without thinking he interrupted the voice, "When is Ms. Graham to be transferred from this room? The President's daughter is not someone who should sit in quarantine and as you can see she is already in a fragile mental state and she could be irreparably damaged from the event. She needs to be in a facility where she is familiar and where she can be treated by a well qualified psychiatrist…"_

_There was silence for a moment and the response was quick, "Ashley Graham is going to be transferred shortly, it has already been arranged." the voice on the other end seemed to change for an instant, into more of a natural tone of voice-- as if they could tell his relief from the instant sag of his shoulders-- "and otherwise-- You did a damn good job Agent. You've been rewarded well for this assignment. You'll be meeting the President upon your release. You try to hang in there, Kennedy. We'll be extracting the girl shortly."_

_And like that, the sound of the voice reverberated for a moment and everything was silent. He couldn't quite understand if he was relieved, or worried at this point. She was being moved somewhere where he'd have no control over what happened to her at all-- or did he ever? He was sure he was relieved… he would be much better off-- less conflicted then he was now. _

_He looked over at her sleeping form, on leg bent and sprawled against the other as her hands curled sweetly under her face, her chest rising and falling with the gentleness of repose. He was so strongly attracted to her that it would do him good to get her out of here-- he certainly couldn't spend all this time with her again. Plus he needed to get out of here so he could handle some of his own, more personal matters-- without having to worry about the girl. _

…

He had been told that he was leaving within the hour and civilian clothing was placed in his chamber via chute that appeared from the wall-- the same place where they sent him his food. It was wonderful to be able to wear a pair of jeans again, and he never thought that he'd like that. He was going to leave as a free man-- and go straight to the apartment he hadn't seen in months. He was actually eager for a break… some time to rest would be wonderful at this point-- time to think about what his next step would be to discovering what Ada was doing-- and who she was working for.

'And some real food would be nice…' he thought as he envisioned the site of a sloppy steak, slathered in A-1 sauce and tobacco-- just cooked enough to be hot on the inside and still medium rare with a side of baked potato with melted butter, bacon bits and cheese. Thinking about it made his stomach crave the salt he'd been denied the past few months. What would he do first-- change into fresh clothing that was actually his from his apartment-- or eat?

He heard the door slide open to his right. Despite everything he felt an itch as the corners of his mouth lightly tipped upwards into what could have been a smile but turned into a happy smirk. He'd done a lot of time thinking about everything that had happened-- about Ashley… and about Ada. He was going to find out what her intent with the virus was. He was going to find her and demand answers if he could do it-- and maybe he'd try to say goodbye to Ashley…

He walked towards the door, and just as he crossed the threshold he turn to look back at the room. He could still see Ashley on the floor, screaming in horror, and he briefly wondered if she was thinking about him. Did she still dream? If she still had nightmares and if she thought about what had happened to them-- did she think about him? He wasn't sure how he felt about the girl, but it was time for both of them to be getting past what had happened to them, and moving on into the future.

…

…

…

"Dr. Midori, have you any updates about Leon?" the blond girl asked, her legs folded in the plush leather couch, her hair, which had grown quite longer then in the past months, was pinned partially back away from her face-- her eyes brighter then they had been in months and the dark circles under her eyes had faded. She was far cry from the poor girl who'd freaked out over a cardiac monitor when they met.

She was visiting the doctor again, a psychiatrist she found out, and had been in each day to visit her for the last three months since she had been brought to the hospital. She stayed for three hours each time and while it seemed long-- but the time seemed to pass faster then any other time did. They spent the whole time talking and although she was supposed to be a head doctor-- she didn't do very much to impress upon Hollywood's version of "How do you feel about that?".

"You ask the same question everyday Ashley and my answer is always the same-- I am not allowed to say anything regarding his quarantine, you know this…" she said, narrowing her eyes playfully at her from the bottom of her thick rimmed glasses. She too looked different from when they first met too. She'd been staying in the hospital with Ashley the whole time and was ready to go home to her own office.

She watched the girl smile sheepishly and try to look like she had no idea what she was talking about. She always asked the same thing every single day she saw her. She spent so much time in this room that she was more then willing to talk but she'd mostly wanted to talk about Leon. Which made the doctor wonder exactly what relationship they had even though it was obvious the girl was infatuated with him.

"It's always worth a try. I'm not one to give up on anything, surely you know this by now!" she said with a laugh, lightening the mood as best as she could. They had become a kind of friend since they'd been visiting. She was supposed to help her through her nightmares and to help her with the memories of what had happened in Spain- but they had rarely talked about it.

Fortunately for Ashley, she hadn't been pressed to talk too much about it, which was a surprising relief. She'd expected an interrogation-- but she assumed that had been reserved for Leon. She'd mostly talked about what she wanted to do after she was released from the hospital. Get back into college, get a job… take some self defense courses-- and buy a gun.

"So Ashley, I want to talk today about your hope to buy a gun. We've discussed it a bit but it's something that you have to think seriously about-- they are powerful tools and there are lots of men that are designed to protect you that have guns and know how to use them. Why do you want to have one of your own so bad? How does the sound of gunfire feel to you now?" she asked, sitting on her old Victorian chair where she always did and placing both hands on top of her politely folded legs.

"There are many reasons why I want a gun," she said, her eyes shining with emotion as she explained herself, "the men that were supposed to protect me weren't able to help me and they died trying to do so. I don't like the idea of another human beings life depending on their ability to protect me and themselves. I want…"

That's right. All three men had died when she was taken, even though she didn't remember much of the incident. At the time she thought it was a little ridiculous to have three different bodyguards protecting her and driving her wherever she wanted. They had been picking her up from school when everything had happened so fast. She was so… frightened when she'd been taken and she hated seeing people dead-- and all because of her.

It was only Leon who had been able to survive being around her. She felt like she was a walking death trap for any poor fool who was supposed to protect her. She didn't want another death on her conscious because she was a helpless girl. Being in Spain with Leon had changed her for sure, and buying a gun and learning how to shoot was going to be one of her first priorities as soon as she got out…

Strike that-- buy two guns-- and extra bullets.

"I want to be able to protect myself. Leon was so strong… but there aren't many men like him-- he's special…" she trailed off, remembering fondly the way he had steadied her, guarded her, made her feel safe. Even in this private hospital she'd been unable to feel as safe as she did when she had been with him in Spain. It was something she was going to have to get used to-- feeling unsafe.

Leon made her feel safe, even if it was just a look from his eyes telling her whatever unspeakable things they could. He'd made her feel wanted, and helpful. She hadn't ever felt that way, even before she had been kidnapped. She never _needed _anything as she had him-- she'd had a life of privilege and a life of as much happiness as thousands of American dollars could make.

She just wasn't the same. He made her want for him with the almost feral devotion he'd had towards her safety. And sometimes in the nights when they would be hiding out, trying to snag a bit of rest in between their struggle to escape, and she'd have nightmares-- she would wake up in the safety of his arms. She could feel his heart beating against her face where he always nestled her against him.

'He had to have held some sort of feelings for me…' she thought, her brow furring and her mind working on the thought of his protection, 'Surely a man on a mission isn't focused only on objectives and entry points. He had a heart-- I felt it beat-- removed a monster from it-- and I still find myself pining after him. If only I wasn't such a weak child-- if I was more like the other woman…

'Maybe if I had known more about guns then… I could have been more useful to him and not so scared all the time. Maybe if I had any bit of allure and wasn't such a rapid talking brat he might have had to lean in close when I spoke to him as he did with the Ada woman.' She thought that if she was more demure and… sexy… and strong, he might have tried to stay with her. Maybe he might have accepted her offer… Maybe they wouldn't have been separated like this…

"Ashley?"

She jolted, realizing that she had stopped talking to the doctor and that she had been trying to get her attention for a while. She'd been consumed with thoughts of Leon, much the same way she spent all of her time while she sat in the hospital. She'd sit and think about him all day, reliving their time together in Spain and seeing her father on the rare occasions too. It had made her die inside each time for the door to open-- hoping and praying with every inch of her being that Leon would be the one walking through the door.

"I'm sorry…" she started, feeling her face heat as she found herself again getting caught in her thoughts, "I was just thinking…" she reached up and rubbed at her temple. Her head was throbbing slowly and she tried to ease the pain by pressing on her temples. She tried to remember what they had been talking about but try as she might she couldn't remember. She had become very spacey too it seemed since her return.

"About what?" the doctor asked, her tone oddly normal and talkative. She seemed just like a nervous intern and she would have said so jokingly if it wouldn't have been an insult on her profession. She really didn't seem much like a psychiatrist but it was obvious that she had zero real experience with that kind of doctor. She'd never been to one and this was her first time every having her head examined.

"Leon. He… well… what were we talking about again?" she asked wincing at her idiocy and cringing at the slightly patronizing look Midori gave her. She frowned and re-crossed her legs slowly before answering her slowly.

"Guns" she said quietly.

"Oh that's right… " she trailed off, not really remembering what they had been talking about. Trying to pick up any angle she said the first thing that came to mind, "Well… I did fire Leon's gun and it wasn't as bad as I thought. It actually made me feel better and I didn't even miss-- I was dead on target." she said with a firm nod of her head. She was proud of it.

Midori looked at her quizzically, never in a million years imagining that this little scrap of a girl could possibly shoot and a gun and not miss. But it was obvious that she had been under a lot of stress over the concept and it was comforting to know that she wasn't fearful of guns. It was harder for her to try and take what she was saying in terms of her dreams. Obviously she wasn't fearful of guns.

"And that made you feel good I'd imagine. I'm sure Leon was pretty proud of you too…" she said, trailing off and trying to keep her voice soft and even. She was trying to get information about Spain out of the girl and she had been otherwise unwilling to talk about anything. She was particularly interested in how being infected with the Las Plagas had affected her.

"Well, I dunno about that…" she mumbled, scratching at her head and blushing, "I know that I probably could do it again, even without the adrenaline pumping me up, you know? I think if I was more… assertive I would be a better kind of person and a stronger one too. You know, take charge of my own destiny?" she said, laughing nervously.

The doctor just stared at her, her expression barely fazed. She seemed to be considering that option and not favorably either. She looked more like a woman who was listening with half an ear because she knew damn well in the end that she was having a pipe dream. Ashley didn't appreciate the look but she continued, trying to make more sense of what she said to her. If she could make her understand what she meant, maybe she would understand how she was feeling.

"Well, I'd like to be able to take care of myself-- believe it or not before all this happened to me I was really able to handle my own things. I'm even a pretty good chef!" she said as the two woman laughed. "Plus… I had my own apartment and I was feeling pretty independent going to college even if I didn't have any roommates. Thinking about my life before Spain makes me wish I was back at home again-- living my life like I was and feeling in control…"

'Feeling in control is really just a delusion though, I know it's not something I could really do even if I tried. I can't control my life until I can protect myself...' she imagined being able to actually leave this hospital and drive herself to the store. As soon as she could do that-- she was going to prepare a feast. Eating hospital foods had turned her stomach to the entire concept of food. She wished with all her being she could control her own life again.

"Well that's a good attitude to have for sure. You've grown a lot since we brought you here. I know we haven't talked about Spain that much but it's important for you to feel safe and comfortable with me. Whenever you're willing to talk about it I will always be here. I know that it's hard to trust people but I'd like to think we are a kind of friend at this point…"

"Well of course we are Midori! It's hard for me to talk about Spain… I don't know if I'll ever be able to talk about it. It's hard to describe what happened and so I just choose not too. I'm not ready to relive it yet-- but one day I know I'll be able too. Until then I'll take my sleeping pills and sleep with assistance-- and of course-- I'll keep a journal as you requested." she said, her fingers curling on the fabric of her pale blue blouse.

"Of course! And when you leave we'll set you up with daily visits to see me so we can talk about it. Once you leave your father's private facility you'll be meeting me in my personal office-- I have my very own compound, big enough for a small army to be housed there-- and we'll look into some more aggressive ways to treat you night terrors. There are tons of options that don't involve medication-- we can do so many things even hypnosis should it come to that."

"Hypnosis? No kidding, I don't believe that really works, Midori-- or does it?" she asked, laughing again. The idea was absurd and thinking about it was almost humerous. She couldn't help but thinking of the ancient Hollywood movies: "your getting sleepy, very, very sleepy." Ironically enough, she had absolutely no belief in wacko voodoo crap like that but if Midori, a highly trained professional believe in that, there might just be a tiny little valid truth to that.

"Why yes it does, and it's perfectly harmless considering that you don't even have to remember a thing if you don't wan t to. We just might consider that to treat you but that's not something you should worry about now. Plus it seems you've got more then enough things to think about it seems…" she trailed off, noticing that Ashley was again in her own thoughts.

"Doctor…?" she suddenly asked, looking up at the woman with dazed eyes, "Do you know when if I will ever see Leon again?" She was looking up into Midori's eyes, her eagerness to see him again clearly reflected in her chocolate eyes. Midori couldn't tell what exactly had happened between the two, but she knew that there was a distinct bond between the two people that had formed from their ordeal. Ashley had obviously developed an attachment for the man while enduring her own personal struggles.

'It's no wonder,' she thought, eyeing the girl's bright eyes, 'that she seems to love him so. It's almost unfair to have separated them. From the little she's said… the agent must have grown some sort of attachment towards the young adult despite his mission or his goal. It was just as well… I'd fall in love with him if I was in her position-- and she wasn't sure whether or not they'd ever be allowed to see each other again-- or if it would be even more convenient to have them together…'

She smiled… well aware of how she felt about the man. She deserved to indulge in a love born from utter trust and protectiveness. She wanted to smile, wanted to tell her things would work out between them and that she had nothing to fear but she knew better. But she'd only be informed as the information came available and unfortunately she had been kept mostly in the dark.

This girl, despite her hope to be independent, was far from it. Even her own forms of protection weren't her choice, her home, or her privacy. She wasn't going to get an ounce of privacy and she had so little-- that it was almost hard to smile in her face knowing damn well just how stripped bare her privacy was.

"I don't know about Leon but I do have some wonderful news for you Ashley… it's been decided that the best way for you to return to normalcy is for you to move back into the world as you said! Your father has arranged for you to have an apartment near your school and near the police station. The secret service has arranged private protection for you and there will always be an agent keeping surveillance of your home."

Ashley's gigantic eyes seemed to catch fire with excitement. She was so ready to leave-- she was ready to leave yesterday-- a month ago. She was nervous about being on her own, but having a home of her own would be nice. The hospital was beautiful and she wasn't denied any visitors but the one she wanted to see the most wasn't able to come… or wouldn't.

Leaving the hospital would give her the chance to try and forget him. It would give her the chance to stand on her own feet, however frightening that could be for her. She wasn't well-- she knew that. She still dreamed, still woke from her sleep, her heart pounding against her chest and her body trembling with a cold sweat. She remembered each moment when she closed her eyes-- saw blood, gore.

And who was she kidding… She wasn't sure if she'd ever be able to see a gun-- or hear one go off without crumbling to her knees in terror again but she knew if she didn't try she'd never move on. If she couldn't look at herself in the mirror after all of this then she knew she would fail. But if she could see how much she'd changed and grow stronger-- she might make it.

"Somebody will always be there if I need them, right?" she asked, a bit of her fear showing as her voice seemed to waver on the idea of leaving. She was ready to get into familiar surroundings-- but was she ready for a life without the promise of Leon's constant protection? Her time with him had been enough to warp her entire way of thinking into something dependant despite knowing better.

The doctor nodded, and began to explain more about the parameters of what would happen "on the outside". She told her an agent would be up to inform her about what things she could and couldn't say or do and that her time in school was going to be delayed. Ashley listened intently to what she said eager for the ability to leave. She was so excited about it!

But for all the excitement that she was expecting, she still felt a dark cloud on the idea. The fact that she wasn't going to be seeing Leon weighed heavy on her heart. She'd bet her own ass that she'd finagle his whereabouts from the agent that came to debrief her. With any luck he'd be just as good as Leon, if he could be as good-- it was not possible, on second thought.

"So, you ready to pack your bags and go home?" the doctor asked, a smile on her face as she watched Ashley's eyes reflect confusion and excitement, fear and something else the doctor hadn't seen in girls eyes- honest to god, genuine happiness.

…

…

…

I hope you liked this chapter. I just LOVE the way things are shaping up for this story. I don't even know what chapter I am on when I am writing this but I do know that it was is going to be an awesome trip for us with this story. I hope to continue just as much as I have been. I love this story and the direction it's been heading in-- and I think you will too. I do wish my alert-listed people would leave me a review since I've never heard from them. But I do want to thank you personally for everything you guys have done for me!

**I did get TEN reviews! Awesome! More are always welcome and I look forward to hearing from my author alert readers that I never hear from! **

Edit: 7/5/2008

-Luky


	6. Old Friends

I believe that personal strength is not the measure of how happy you are at any given point, but how you can rise up from adversity to achieve happiness-- to take it on your own-- with your own strength as well as with the strength of those special people who support you. Ever since my father died I have taken to a new outlook on life and on the people who I should be able to call family. I remember greeting my eldest brother at the hospital, hugging him… comforting him and telling him he was dead and I am left to wonder at what time did things change between us? Was it his alcoholism? What?

As I write this I wonder what happened to make things so different and I can only look within my self and at his actions. I have to be honest, today is one of those rare days where I am consumed with self pity over the things in my life that I'd rather forget-- the things that seek to break my spirit. But I won't let it. I refuse to lose all that I am to those uneducated, hopeless fools who would try to hurt me. I am strength embodied. I am the spirit aflame and though I yearn for family again-- I vow never to put myself into his life again without a radical change.

I hope you guys like this chapter since it's obviously setting up for a lot of different things and... please review.

-Luky

…

**Chapter Six**

…

Old Friends

…

…

…

It had been almost four months since they had returned from Spain but she'd spent a lot of her time being chauffeured around by various different agents to the places she needed to go. On the rare occasion she was able to drive herself somewhere, and she appreciated that freedom, but her father had technically had her licenses revoked until she was better-- until her doctor said she was okay to drive. That didn't matter; she hadn't wanted to go anywhere anyway, not really.

She had already moved into her new apartment which was unlike any place she'd ever stayed at. Sure, she'd been afforded only the largest of luxuries her whole life-- but this was different-- this was so much more. It was security enabled in every aspect of her apartment, even in her coffee maker. She'd moved back too Massachusetts despite her reluctance to be near the place where she was initially captured be cause her school was there and it served as the quickest way for her to get back into the swing of things and forget what happened.

Her father had purchased the apartment, more like a studio, right near the school grounds, overlooking the water and the street. But she didn't have any interest in decorating. She might have at a different time but not now-- not anymore. She wasn't even interested in going to back to school this semester either but she hadn't wanted to move into the White House and that was the best of any excuse she could give him. She was a little upset that all her hard work, going to college early, had all been for nothing.

But despite herself, she couldn't get upset about it-- she was alive and if she never graduated, she'd be happy.

The apartment had a huge balcony and large windows that opened out to the view of the beach. It was sparsely decorated-- mostly things that she had mentioned she'd like moved specifically. It had been a sudden discharge and so they hadn't had time to bring everything over yet. Things that were familiar to her, like her bed and her mother's antique mirror and her chest of drawers were the first things that were brought over.

The thought of buying all new things wasn't even the least bit of exciting to her either. She'd rather stay with the familiar then throwing herself into too many new things after her ordeal. The most important thing for her now was to try and rest-- and sleeping in her own bed was going to be quite the blessing after everything that had happened.

Stepping onto the balcony, she placed both hands on the wrought iron railing, letting the salty sea air sweep across her face, lifting her hair into the wind and whipping it around gracefully. She didn't think she'd want to be near the water again but for some reason, being close to a beach had been oddly important to her. If there was anywhere that was calming to her, it was the sound of the great Atlantic crashing against the shoreline.

Closing her eyes she soaked in the warmth of the sun that she hadn't gotten the entire time that she had been in the mist filled areas of Spain. It hadn't been sunny the entire time they had been in there and it was like a perpetual black fog had rolled in over that place. They never could catch a glimpse of warmth during the night time either. It was terrible to be trapped in the dark-- terrible to be caged like an animal-- without Leon she knew she would have died, or worse.

'Leon…' she thought as she remembered his face as clearly as if he were standing right there next to her, looking great in whatever material that shirt he had been wearing. It was hard to imagine him in anything else but the dark tones went great with his overall look-- and his eyes… She loved the determined glint in his eyes that could be so friendly and so warm when in the face of danger.

She didn't want to remember Spain but she couldn't run from it and didn't want to run from the memories of Leon. No matter how much sunlight there ever exists, there would never be enough to bathe her wounded soul in it and she knew it. There was no getting away from her misery-- even in this brightly lit, happy place; it was still possible to fear the light as much as the dark.

Feeling a sudden chill, she rubbed her hands up and down her arms and turned to walk back inside, leaving the balcony doors open. She wasn't much for the heat but the weather always seemed nice here and she loved to have the windows open on a breezy night-- at least she did after coming home from her ordeal. Now she always had as many doors and windows she could have open as possible. Maybe that was a bad thing.

'I've really got to get out of the house, it's not helping me to just sit around here all the time groaning about and not eating.' she walked into the kitchen, deciding again that she wasn't hungry. Since they'd left Spain she'd lost a lot of weight and had kept to herself while in the hospital and at home. Her only real contact had been her father's visits, a nurse, and Doctor Midori. Other then that, it had been quite the lonely time.

'Sitting in this apartment… being medicated to sleep… when did I get so pathetic?' she asked herself, surveying her dungeon with a grimace, 'I need company… I'm all alone here like a damn hermit. I'm pitiful…" she thought sadly as she threw herself against her bed with a heavy sigh. She knew that if Leon saw her he just might think she was the sorriest thing he ever saw.

…

…

…

**Three days earlier…**

…

…

…

Casually walking to the White House wasn't something that the average person was able to do. Since 9/11 there were officers stationed at various strategic points prepared to shoot anyone that advanced on the place without invitation. The very air around it was dark and heavy, as if you were walking on pins and needles-- but for someone like Leon, well, he'd been coming to the White House for months and it had kind of lost its splendor.

The attacks hadn't been too long ago, and it was no wonder they had stopped the general public from viewing the facility. Only rarely were tours given and even then they were only given to a select group of people who had solicited a congressional representative and submitted an extensive background check first. It seemed almost silly to do that, but when it came to the life or death of the president, or his daughter, the Secret Service wasn't playing games-- that's where his specially trained unit came in.

"Leon, so we finally meet in person." said a brown haired woman from the corner of the room as he entered it. His eyes swept her from the floor up, like most men did, and noticed the fine, muscular legs beneath the simple pencil skirt before he zoned in on her face. He recognized her immediately and smiled, extending his hand. She was wearing her glasses again.

"Hunnigan, how about that phone number?" he said with a chuckle, a bit of laughter in his voice for the first time in… well, months. The woman was quiet pretty, but her features were rather plain despite how dangerously intelligent she was-- and that in a woman was incredibly sexy. He hadn't meant the offer for real-- it was more of an inside joke at this point. He had to face reality and realize he had too many women he was bouncing between.

"Now Leon, we're still on duty aren't we? Plus I've got my glasses on." she said pointing at the circular spectacles with a cute smile, shaking his hand with her other. There were a lot of things you could tell by a person's handshake. It was always comforting to know you were working with a woman, who had a stronger paw shake then you. Something about a woman who could kick your ass was interesting. Maybe that's why he was so attracted to Ada…

"Never stopped me before." he said, instantly wincing as one of her brows rose quizzically. He mentally punched himself, unsure of why he'd said it like that. He would be out of a job if they knew some of the things that had happened in Spain. He'd be more then happy to keep all the "free feels" and "pervert" comments to himself-- not to mention the intimacy was something he needed to forget on his own.

"I see…" she said, eyeing him up and down, well aware that he was referring to Ashley, "let's hope that hasn't been an issue lately, hmm? You remember the team, don't you?" she asked, motioning towards the group of people sitting at various points in the room, some talking and others just sitting quietly talking. He recognized some of the men as people he'd trained with, most of them much older then he. They'd trained specifically at the Academy each for their own separate reasons-- as bodyguards for the president and his family.

"We're just waiting at this point-- how did you like your vacation-- not too much time to make you crazy right?" she said with a laugh. Their vacation time was indeed laughable… if you could call a few days a vacation. And he didn't even get to take his shoes off before he'd had to check out the letter that had been pinned to his fridge (all of his food had expired except his tobacco sauce). He had quite the science experiment living in there at this point.

The letter informed him that they were relocating him and that he would have a moving service coming in to pack all of his things. He'd declined the offer-- it wasn't like he'd accumulated too many things to pack and he wasn't a wimp, he could carry his own furniture and put them in a moving truck. It wasn't difficult.

He'd received the orders to meet at the white House in the Red Room less then 5 days later, where the president often had tea parties in the past, but where he'd always been told to report to for his missions. It was in this room he had been informed of his mission to rescue the president's daughter-- to rescue Ashley. If he'd known all that training was going to put him in Spain, would he have done it?

'Hell yes…' he thought, 'I would have done it for Ashley… She's so much more then a rich little snob-- even if she does have the most annoying screams in the world.'

"Hey, Leon!" came a cry from a lean man who was sitting in an antique chair across the room looking oddly comfortable Without thinking he smiled and stepped towards the man, both of them getting close and hugging each other like long lost brothers. He wasn't a big guy and he was probably a quarter of Leon's weight-- but he'd gotten three PhD's before he turned 20-- and strategically he was more of a brains type of entrance then Leon.

"Seth, how are you? It's been a little while since we've seen each other now, hasn't it? He said with a laugh giving the dark haired man a glance. He hadn't changed; he looked exactly the same as he did when they'd first met back in training.

"Well yes it has-- but the time must have passed pretty quickly for you in Spain, is that right?" he said with a smile, a dangerous glint in his eyes. Leon knew damn well everyone in this room knew about the issue with the Los Illuminados-- and Seth wasn't any different. He was a tall man, but he was the kind of person that seemed to blend right into the crowd, friendly and inconspicuous. He was assigned to the president personally and acted as both his intelligence and his protection.

"It sucked-- but you knew that didn't you?" he said with a look. The man simply patted him on the back and then wrapped an arm around his shoulder and walked forward towards a window. A little sun was nice after his little "trip" anyway.

"I don't suppose you have a smoke do you, Leo?" he asked giving him a knowing smile.

"Damn it Seth, you know I hate that nickname and sorry. I've got gum-- stopped remember?" He pulled his jacket back, exposing a pack of Wrigley's sticking out of his pocket. He'd lost his rabbit fur jacket… so he simply had a leather jacket instead. He watched his friend laugh and smiled, "but then again, I don't think you can smoke in here anyway. Don't you know smoking makes you an easier target-- not to mention, it kills you? Didn't you remember that from training?"

"Are you kidding? More then half the population smokes at this point, I'd blend right in. Plus, I think I saw a baby puffin' on one the other day-- no surprise huh? Not to mention there is no way I'd quit smoking, I figure a bullet will kill my ass before any cigarette does" he said shaking his head. They had trained together and despite Seth's humble beginnings, he was the true image of a man who earned every inch of what he had-- and there wasn't a man he respected more for that.

"So we're all here-- I imagine we have this meeting because of what happened in Spain, am I right?" he asked. He gave a short nod, and Leon could have sworn in anger. He wanted nothing to do with America's end of the situation. Mind control was a weapon and if the American government was able to get a piece of that, would they use it? Not to mention-- doing that meant going against Ada again and he wanted to do that on his own time.

"That's right, Agent Kennedy," came a voice from an opening door from the side of the room. He turned to look, seeing the president himself standing in the door frame. He noted the impressive way the man seemed to capture the room-- it must have been why he was elected. American people were always looking for strength and the democratic candidate didn't have it.

"We're here to discuss Spain but first, you are to come with me, and we must speak privately…" he said, turning away and motioning for Leon to follow him. He nodded to Seth and turned to leave as his friend made a phone motion to the side of his face, indicating that he should "call him". Following the president he left the room, pretty sure of what this private meeting was about. He just hoped it didn't turn out the way he thought it would.

Closing the door behind him, he found himself in the blue room. He wasn't much for decorating, but having specific rooms designed to match a color scheme seemed suffocating. He never liked that idea ever-- and each room had an odd way of making him feel claustrophobic. He was surprised to see that nobody else was in the room and no secret service especially. Then again, he was above them anyway.

"I want to thank you for what you've done, son, you've done me a great favor…" he started, extending his hand towards Leon and clapping him on the shoulder before turning to find a seat. He was silent, unsure of what action he was to take. "Please have a seat, I wish to speak to you in regards to Spain."

"You see… you've done the greatest favor for me, Agent Kennedy-- you've brought my daughter back home to me. That kind of presidential favor isn't something I'm likely to forget. There is nobody in this life who as important to me as her, and without her… well, I wouldn't be a very happy man right this moment." he paused, his fingers tracing his short beard in a similar fashion to Ashley's nervous fingering of her clothes. Looking at the man now, he could see where Ashley got some of behaviors and mannerisms from.

"My staff and I have decided to place the Spain issue as top priority-- we don't want another Raccoon city, as you know. Now, your report has identified this conflict to be more then simple zombies-- but mind control. I'm sure you've seen this first hand of what a valuable tool that could be for some kinds of people-- but it isn't my wish to recover those samples. The creator was murdered, is that correct?"

"That's correct, Luis Sera was killed by the Los Illuminados, sir." he felt a twinge of guilt. They hadn't known each other long-- but the ladies man had been genuinely sorry for his actions and despite his words about being a hero-- he was willing to die to be a hero one last time. Maybe it was to ease his guilt as he said, but it felt like he really just wasn't appreciated as a cop. He understood that feeling all too well.

"And so there goes the knowledge of the cure," the president sighed, "but that's okay. We've been keeping this issue as closely under wraps as we possible could. The whole issue of Ashley's capture has been entirely secret and with your information we were able to figure out which branch in our office had betrayed us-- for that I thank you as well. All other rumors from your arrival at the beach have been affectively squelched as well…"

"Only a few select people know the truth about Ashley's disappearance and we've explained everything to her school in Massachusetts as far as a cover story and we've been rolling with it." he said, and he almost looked a little sad.

"Is that where Ashley is now?" Leon asked his voice and his expression betraying the professional detachment he was trying to portray. He knew as soon as he asked that it was obvious that he was curious to where she was. Despite his need to get away from any woman, especially those who were as tempting as Ashley, he wanted to see her again-- he couldn't explain it.

"Yes and there hasn't been anything about Spain where she is-- nothing." he said, eyeing Leon with interest and watching him carefully. Leon was more then capable of keeping his emotions hidden. He shifted in his chair. Surely there hadn't been any stories circulating about that event. Anybody who'd touched them on the beach would have been quarantined anyway. He eyed the president carefully, waiting for him to continue.

"…and you've confirmed that the actual sample of the T-virus has been stolen by an unknown task force, possibly under a stray Umbrella faction. We're going to be deploying some men that are personally selected for the mission to see if there are any remnants of the virus in Spain as well as follow that groups movements. We've yet to notify their government of the issue-- we don't want to cause any alarm. I don't suppose you'd be willing to go back to Spain-- you do have the experience..?" he trailed off.

Leon stiffened at the mention of it, instantly denying that possibility in his mind. He was willing to follow their movements… but not if it sent him to Spain. He'd find Ada on his own, or she'd find him; "I'll do whatever you want me to do sir. We are your task force after all…" he said.

He seemed to pause and consider Leon's answer-- and for an awful instant he seriously thought he was going to say that he wanted him to go back to Spain to find traces of the T-virus. His seemed to change his mind about what he was going to say next and stood up and turned away from him to walk towards the other side of the room. He seemed to sag with tension with each step.

"My Ashley… she seems…" he paused, trying to find the right words, "to trust you implicitly. Do you have any special reasons for that?" He turned then, to look Leon straight in the eyes. Those eyes were so unlike Ashley's… he could tell that this was definitely her birth father-- they shared the same expressions since she'd mostly been raised by him. It seemed to be some sort of challenge-- but Leon was finished with games.

"She and I went through a great deal while in Spain-- It is only natural for a special kind of trust to have formed in that situation." he said, if he asked him about his feelings about Ashley-- he didn't know what he'd say. He cared about her? He wanted to bang her while they were there? That wouldn't be the best answer to the man who determined how long he'd be living…

"Indeed…" he said, eyeing him again. He seemed to accept his answer before turning to the window to gaze out on the lawn. Even from here Leon could see the huge gates that were erected around the White House and the sniper towers. Living here had to be more like a prison then a home and he would never any to be a president because of it. He liked his freedom as much as he set himself up with jobs that didn't allow it.

"My daughter is the most important thing in the world to me, Leon, you must know this. And she has had some adverse side affects from your brief time there… Things that I can't help her with. She's been set up with one of our finest contracted military psychiatrists who is actually, ironically based in Massachusetts but I don't think she's able to really help her…"

Leon watched him as he seemed sadden by the whole thing. He would be to, if he were a father and had to deal with the fact that his position was what got his daughter all messed up. He was careful as he spoke again, his voice dripping with regret, "Did you know my daughter sings, Leon? She has the most beautiful voice yet she seems unwilling to offer a single tune since she's returned."

…

_They had stopped again; she was too exhausted to continue any further and he knew it. They were both testing their limits and he'd been going for more then 72 hours in a row now and he wanted to sit. To think. He hadn't been in contact the Agent Hunnigan in hours and he hadn't figured out a way to get out of this hell whole. He was more concerned about Ashley's mental state then anything at this point-- she seemed to be cutting a little loose. _

_She sat on the floor waiting for him to remove the bloody sheets from the bed so she could at least lie on the Spanish moss filled mattress. She had wrapped her slender arms around her skinned knees. He could tell she was going to bruise but she seemed not care. She was staring out the window when he heard a strange sound._

_He stopped, turning to look at her in surprise, her lips pressed tightly together and her eyebrows slightly rose as if she was curious about something. Her hair which probably hadn't been washed in several weeks partially hid her face but he could tell that she was the one making the strange sound._

'_She's… humming?' he had thought-- and it seemed a little odd because the tune she hummed was rather upbeat. It wasn't something he'd expect to hear her humming-- let alone her humming at all. He turned to her and sat on the bed and felt a shiver wrap down his back at the chilly night air. He hadn't built a fire-- it drew too much attention._

"_That's a nice song, where did you hear it from?" he asked, startling her. Her eyes widened and her mouth opened slightly in surprise. She licked her lips nervously and he couldn't help but follow the motion as it darted out, moistening her mouth. _

"_I wrote it." she said, her voice dripping with exhaustion. She cleared her throat because she was slightly dehydrated and needed some water. Reaching around his hip he pulled out a water bottle from his pack and tossed it to her. She caught it eagerly and opened it to down as fast as she could. _

"_You wrote that? Do you like music?" he asked, hoping to fill the nervous air with something other then tears like the previous night._

"_Not too much… I collect music boxes-- I never had the strength to perform in front of a group of people like my mother did-- and she really loved music so it kind of happened to me by default." and then she bitterly muttered, "Not like it matters here anyway…"_

_He watched her eyes flutter closed in pain and he wondered what he could do to comfort her. Standing up he walked over to her, holding out his hand-- "When we get out of here-- I think I'd like to see you perform somewhere, I bet you'd be great with a voice like that and I only heard you humming!" he said, pulling her to her feet and leading her to the bed._

"_You think?" she asked, laying on the uncomfortable bed and rolling onto her side. She looked up at him, her eyes watering. It had been the only time she'd ever even mentioned her birth mother-- and he knew that to be true, since the first lady wasn't a singer and didn't support music programs._

"_Hell yeah-- I bet you'd be… good… … …" he trailed off as he watched her eyes brim with tears as she looked up at him. She looked so pitiful and small that all he wanted to do was stop her crying. He hated that-- he hated that sound because there really wasn't anything he could do to help her but sit with her and wait for her to finish._

_As she put her fists into her eyes and started to sob quietly he sat down against the wall beside her. Wrapping an arm around her shoulders he pulled her against him so she could cry. He'd done this before and it had helped and it made him feel better too. Being with a woman in this hell was tiring on the heart and on the body. He hated hearing her cry but he let her-- she needed it._

_A few moments later she had almost cried herself to sleep and her tears were still leaking from her eyes but she was only sniffling now, and softly hiccupping from the lack of oxygen. Taking the cue, he shifted over her and picked her up, carrying her to the bed where he'd made as clean of a spot as he could for her. Laying her down she looked up at him weakly, sleepily and the look made his heart hurt._

"_Are you going to lie down?" she asked innocently and her voice was almost musical. If it were a song, it would be the song that would make you cry when you heard it because the emotions it brought forth were so strong._

"_I think I'll stay up and keep watch for now--" he told her gently, sitting down against the bed and looking at her over his shoulder. He was going to be up all night since they were still in the castle and who knows what God awful things were creeping around in here. Smiling at her reassuringly he said, "get some sleep sweetheart…" he trailed off, seeing that she was already fast asleep, passed out from exhaustion._

…

The sound of the president's voice interrupted his thoughts and he was surprised to find that he had still been speaking, "…her only melody seems to be a constant depression… and night terrors. Was this true in Spain?"

"Yes sir." he said with a curt nod, his jaw stiffening as he was snapped back into reality. It had been a fond moment, one of the few but his words now seemed to disturb him-- she was still having nightmares? Those terrors has been so horrific, he wasn't sure whether or not she'd be able to wake up from them Where her night terrors better then the reality? He wasn't sure. He frowned, his mind clouding with the memory of her screams. He hadn't liked them-- they seemed to cut into his very heart each time-- it was like she was being murdered.

The president eyed him and he liked what he saw. It was comforting to see the splay of emotions on the young man's face. He'd hoped for it. As much as he didn't like the idea of his baby girl growing up-- he was humble enough to know he simply couldn't protect her from the world. He hadn't-- but this man had protected her from more then the world-- he'd also saved her from her nightmares as well, he had been told.

He was banking on those abilities., He didn't know that he was signing the man up with his daughter when he'd first picked him to be her personal bodyguard-- he almost wished he'd selected a young woman, like Ingrid Hunnigan to protect her-- but then again, the ending could have been different-- but would his daughter have been screaming for her daddy in her nightmares to save her if he had? He wasn't willing to accept the pain of not being able to protect her. He'd almost wished he hadn't become the president-- maybe this never would have happened.

He just hoped that this man that she seemed so devoted too wouldn't end up breaking her in the end. She needed to heal and he seemed just the cure. Not even drugs have been able to stop his daughter's nightmares-- but a minute with Leon in quarantine had immediately caused the screams to cease. He had already arranged everything-- he only hoped that he'd made the right choice. He prayed he could make his daughter well again-- and if it meant giving her this man, he'd giver her him and a hundred others if that was what she wanted.

Clearing his throat, Leon looked up at the man, a shocked expression on his face as he saw the glistening tears in his eyes. 'Tears?' He must have heard those screams-- he must have seen her in that terrified state. Had the president heard her scream my name? Had he heard that from her? What is he thinking?' he wondered.

"Leon, may I call you Leon?" he asked and Leon nodded a ball of both excitement and dread curling in his stomach over the look. He knew damn well what he wanted-- but would he be able to do it-- could he do it? He wasn't so sure of his abilities at this point. The temptation was too great-- surely he knew what kind of feelings would have been spawned in him, from protecting a woman like his daughter-- surely he knew what it was like to protect a woman-- to hold her away from him when all he had wanted to do was protect her from everything, but himself?

"Then Leon… I would like you to continue your duties that were assigned to you upon your arrival here, from the academy. I'm entrusting my daughter to you, in more ways then one…" as he spoke his deep voice seemed to ache with a hidden grief-- an understanding that went further then what Leon thought he might know. Somehow… he knew more about their "relationship" then he was letting on.

Leon felt his stomach clench. 'What the hell does that mean?' he questioned, knowing damn well what he meant. It was just a question of whether or not he was going to be willing to accept that idea of taking care of Ashley, both protecting her physically and maybe even in other ways. He didn't think he wanted that but oddly enough, sitting with the president had made him rather fancy the idea.

"Don't screw this up. I'm counting on you." he said, coming beside him and extending his hand to him.

Standing Leon wondered if he was shaking his head for another reason other then protecting his little girl, who was by any means, not little, but took his hand anyway. His grip was firm but his eyes still held the same, steely gaze on his. Despite the nervousness he felt, he felt oddly happy-- for what, he wasn't so sure. He was pretty sure he was damming himself but he didn't care… he wanted her too and he hated to say it, but he'd missed her a lot while he'd been alone.

"You got it." he said, and meant it.

…

…

…

So how did you like this chapter?

It took me a long time to get satisfied with this chapter because the workings behind it aren't revealed until later of course. Why in the world would the president just freely give his daughter to Leon in the way he did? What makes him allow this to happen when he knows damn well how they must feel to each other. As a father, I would be pissed-- I know mine would. They shake hands, an age-old symbolism for greetings and trust that has died apparently in modern times, and he seemingly does what he feels best by having Leon protect her more. He's doing as a brother would have done-- one that cared. Leon is excited about protecting Ashley even though lately he's been wanting to get away from her-- inability to accept his feelings I guess.

More developing of each others character and then-- one more chapter to go before they meet. I know it's been a long wait but you'll love it!!

**Review, please-- I really do need the motivation and the support.**

-Luky


	7. Freedom of the Press

Sorry for not posting sooner, I hope I didn't lose any fans in the time it took to post this… Let's just say life is what happened. My fish tank broke and flooded my apartment and the people below me-- I had to change my wedding date and my mom had to go to the emergency room and has been in an out for a while now. I'm exhausted, at all times, and creativity (let alone free time when spent not visiting) has taken a beating. Oh and did I mention my piece of shit brother got married? I don't see how someone so evil could possibly hold love for anything other then himself. Who knows?

I did want to apologize for misleading you because they don't meet up in this chapter either! I'm so sorry, but that is next chapter for sure! I meant, one more chapter as in, this is the last chapter before they meet again!

Please enjoy the chapter!!

A special Thanks to **Laura Sanchez **and **VisualIDentificationZeta**- AND from everyone else who reviewed- for getting me off my ass to post this and to the Spunky nurse in the ER. Here's a drink on me…

-Luky

…

**Chapter Seven**

…

Freedom of the Press

…

…

…

She had tried to get out of the house in the past few days, running little errands here and there, mostly trying to pass the time and occupy her mind. She'd found a place to call home in her little apartment and had gotten a few things to make it feel more inviting to others but mostly to herself, including a can of pepper spray and several knife stands, fully loaded. She didn't know what kind of safety that would bring her, but it was more reassuring then having nothing although having a gun… well that was something she'd have to prep herself for.

That's how she ended up at the library-- trying to buy her time and possibly find a book about weapons safety. She'd walked there since she hadn't had a car and wasn't able to really get around by herself yet. Plus she was nervous to be in a car alone after all the things she'd been through. She'd entered the public library thinking that she'd find something to familiarize her with the equipment enough to actually step into a gun store without simply passing by it on the street as she had been doing.

'I want to be able to protect myself, even if I know I'm just a little girl…' she thought as she scanned the gigantic bookshelves. She'd obtained the help of a library assistant who had written down the section and the area where she could find that kind of information. The assistant, a woman, recognized her as the president's daughter and had given her a strange look at her request.

Almost as if to say, "you're such a pampered princess, why look up guns when you could just get one from the secret service agent you've probably got mulling around after you." She had tried to ignore it, but it seemed even American kindness extended in the forms of looks and raised eye brows couldn't be ignored. It seemed almost petty that the woman had to treat her that way-- but she must have been the same way before everything happened to her-- before she changed.

Her eyes lightly scanned the books; she was trying to find something in particular-- a book about realistic weapons that a civilian could own. Something like the pistol Leon carried with him at all time-- the silver one. He always had it on him, he hadn't even gotten rid of it when he'd bought the

She stopped herself in the middle of the path and chided herself for thinking about him. She had hoped that maybe when they got out of here he might show her how to work one of those things-- so he wouldn't have to worry about protecting her any longer. She was trying to forget everything that had happened while in Spain-- every detail-- and thinking about him made her insides quake despite his image only being a part of her memories now.

"Looking for something specific?" came a voice from behind her, startling her and causing her to drop the book she was holding. She turned, startled, her eyes clouding with instant fear as she saw a young, blond haired man leaning over to pick up the book she had just dropped like a fool. She felt her whole body tensing as she forced herself to relax. Breathing deeply she pasted a shaky smile on her face.

"Oh…" she said, "I'm sorry-- I didn't mean to drop that on your foot you just-- startled me…" she trailed off uncomfortably as he stood back up. Like most men, he was much taller then her-- that she was used to, but his bright blue eyes seemed so friendly-- the reminded her of someone else who was taller then her…

"Ouch, I'm wounded!" he said playfully as he pretended to hobble, grabbing at his chest sarcastically, "You might have to take me to a doctor, stat-- I think I might lose a limb…" and his voice was friendly too, and despite herself she began to relax as he spoke again, "or you could just give a shot?"

Eyeing her up and down he seemed to recognize her after a moment of silence and said, "Hey, you're the president's daughter aren't you?" he smiled. He had a crooked grin, a lazy one-- and she noticed that his smile seemed fake, almost too perfect and picturesque-- like something you'd see in a commercial for a dentist. She smiled without trying to be too friendly and took the book back. It was called; "Handguns for the Common Civilian".

She nodded and started to put the book away but hesitated, "Well since you know my name, you might want to give me yours-- it's only polite." giving him a curt look from over her shoulder. His grin, if possible seemed to engulf his entire face as he smiled wider still, and with a shake of his hands, bowed gracefully as if he was a member of the highest court.

She laughed despite herself and she thought how weird her laughter seemed to her now. She hadn't really laughed in a long time it felt like-- certainly she had never laughed with Leon…

"The name's Rick Reynolds, at your service my lady. And what, may I ask, is such a beautiful example of female species doing looking up a book on handguns at a private library, if I may ask?"

She recoiled from the sound of his voice, instantly going defense and side stepped him. Wrapping her arms around her chest, she tried her best to cover the books titles and bindings but to no avail. He simply crossed the distance between him and peeking through her slender arms, read the second title out loud as they were crossing the library. She just wanted to get away from him at this point-- it was none of his business!

"You may not ask-- and frankly I think that's rude of you. I have a term paper to write about the use of weapons in society-- don't you know my father is against civilians owning guns? Or do you not read up on politics?" she asked, sticking her nose in the air as she marched towards the front desk. She wasn't concerned that he followed her, just that he was so… persistent.

"Hey hey hey," he said and grabbing her gently by the arm trying to swing her around. She froze instantly-- memories smashing into her at the touch. Instant tears blotted her eyes as she gasped, seemingly in outrage at his audacity although she herself was trapped in her own bitter memories. Her own nightmares that she couldn't even escape while she was awake were flashing before her eyes.

She uttered a short shriek and jerked away, almost losing the armful of books she was clutching to her chest. Her eyes widened as she felt the clammy touch of a Ganado reaching for her-- it's grasp chilling to remember as she recalled how desolate she felt when they grappled against her struggling limbs.

He stopped, "Wow, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you cry-- I know the subject must be hard for you to have to research-- my bad…" Ashley felt her eyes starting to focus as she realized that people were staring at her. Yes. 'It is hard to research', she thought angrily as she came more and more to her senses, 'not like it's any of your business, creep…'

"…I was just trying to get your attention in any way I could…" he trailed off and while Ashley was nodding at his face-- she was trapped in her memories. She could only faintly hear him speaking and even then she wanted to tuck tail and run as she'd always done with Leon. But running away? There was nothing to run away from here except herself.

"Are you okay, Ashley?" he asked, concerned as she continued to not respond. He gave her shoulder a shake and like a bubble bursting, her eyes gained their focus and looked up at him. For some reason her instincts were on fire-- and adrenaline was pumping. Without any warrant she peered up at his face-- searching for something, anything-- something her mind was telling her to find.

"What happened to you nose?" she asked, still a little dazed but becoming clearer headed by the second. The boy seemed to rub his nose sheepishly, nervously scratching his head as he did so.

"Oh this?" he asked, pointing to the huge hump that had seemingly formed there at some point, "I broke my nose a couple months ago and didn't have the strength to set it myself. I wish I had-- but now I look back and feel a little silly about the whole thing."

"Nobody was willing to help you with it? I bet that hurt like hell…" she mumbled, trying to make up for her blunder. Not only had she just been incredible rude, she'd obviously brought up painful memories for the poor guy. She felt bad, and wanted to put the situation back into a friendly court.

"Yeah well-- live and let live!" he said with a guarded smile. She could tell he was hiding something, but then again she wasn't about to start spilling all her dark secrets to a stranger either. He'd probably gotten into a fight with his girlfriends lover or something like that and simply didn't want to admit he'd gotten his ass kicked. Yeah, that sounded better…

"Well, it is good to see you're able to get over the things that happened in the past and smile about it now. It was a pleasure meeting you Rick, thanks for the company." she said, turning away from him with an obvious "goodbye smile". She wanted to groan in frustration as he jogged to catch up to her, apparently intrigued.

"And what's that supposed to mean? You can't?" he asked, as they neared the front counter where she'd check out her books and be gone. Gone from this strange, friendly man.

"Are you always this persistent?" she asked, turning to look at him, unknowingly throwing him a flirtatious smile from across her shoulder.

"Only with a beautiful lady." he replied instantly.

"And do they always fall to your charms?" she said with a laugh, stopping at the counter and placing her books, binding away from his eyes and face down.

"I always get what I want, ladies are no exception." he said with a dangerously sly smile. Despite herself it made her shiver, "but you're the same way right? Surely being the First Daughter has its perks?" he asked coolly, and she let out a harsh laugh despite herself.

Her face morphed into a blossom of red as he and the store clerk gave her strange stares. She hadn't meant to scoff that loud but the thought that being the president's daughter gave her perks-- was laughable. Some perks. Yes paid vacation to Spain where you could have adrenaline pumping action thrills complete with your very own insectoid monster implanted in your chest. Yes… it sure had perks.

Choosing to ignore him from that point, she turned to address the clerk who had treated her like a snob earlier. She didn't look any better. Her upper lip seemed to be fused with her other as she gave her a pointed stare-- obviously trying to show her dislike to the attention she got. She probably assumed she got it because she was the first daughter. But if only she hadn't been-- she would have traded places with her any day.

"I need your library card, Ms. Graham-- or don't you have it?" she asked coolly, and Ashley felt her blush deepen as she realized her wallet had disappeared back when she was kidnapped and her new one only had a few things in it. Rick who was standing too close for comfort, was watching her sift through her bag as the lady continued, "well do you have it or not-- I don't have all day."

She felt tears dot her eyes as she delved into the bag, finally closing her fingers around her license which wou. She pulled it out and offered it mutely to the store clerk, embarrassed that it was all she had. She hadn't even thought about getting a new card-- it was just by chance her replacement license was in her bag floating around in the abyss.

She looked at the license with a pointed glare, "this isn't a library card, you know?" and gave her a sneer. Ashley started to say something but stopped as Rick interrupted her first;

"I don't think the Manager here would like the way you're treating Ms. Graham. Let alone the secret service that is probably watching her in here. I'd be quite or she'll have you looked up for months…" he said with a low tone. Both girls had to stretch forward to hear what he said-- and both got cold shivers at his words. Ashley had never in her life demanded someone be locked up-- and if the girl felt the need to spread rumors, it certainly wouldn't help her father any.

"Well she should've been more prepared!" she snapped blushing furiously as she began checking out the books to her. He looked over at Ashley and winked and she felt an odd feeling rise up her spine. He seemed friendly enough-- but it was high time she got back to her apartment. Being out and about without anyone here to protect her made her feel vulnerable-- plus she had to get home to make a lunch for two.

"Well, thanks for all you help, Rick-- it's been nice." she said, picking up her books and turning away from him. She smiled, intent on leaving. He stepped forward slowly as she turned to leave and called out to her--

"Well how about you and I go catch a bite to eat or stop at a bar and talk some more-- I'd really like to get to know you a little better."

Laughing she said, nearing the door without looking back, "Sorry, underage-- can't drink at a bar."

"Well how about a party?" he said, making a silly dance move resembling the fish at the counter with a goofy grin on his face. He sure did try hard but for some reason, like all the other guys she'd ever been around-- she just wasn't interested in anything-- hadn't been-- and certainly wasn't now. Not after Spain. Not after Leon. It would never be the same for her again.

"Sorry," she said, opening the heavy oak door with one arm, her other securely wrapped around the books she'd just checked out, "I'm not a clubbing type of girl." and with that she stepped past the door and let it slam shut behind her.

…

He'd tried to settle into his new home as best he could, but it was so large that the entire place ended up looking like a pauper had come calling and was simply staying the night while the real owner was away on vacation. He barely had anything to cover his room. He didn't know why he needed such grand lodgings, it wasn't like he liked it anyway-- he preferred something quiet and peaceful-- and not on the water either.

But it was part of his mission in the end and there was nothing he could do about it. His new mission… which wasn't all that different from the first one was going to be very troublesome. He was supposed to report in today but he'd intentionally procrastinated-- delaying every possible second in hopes that somebody in the higher up would change their mind.

"_I'm trusting you in more then one way…"_

When the president had said that-- it had made him quiet literally sick to the stomach. What the hell did he mean by that? Did he even what to know what meant when he said he was entrusting his daughter to him? Somehow the thought of pissing off the President of the United States didn't seem appealing-- although after everything he'd been through in his young life, he didn't have the strength to be concerned over a single man regardless of his position of authority.

'Ashley…' he thought, his mind wandering the First Daughter. It had been so long since he'd seen her in person. He still could remember every feature and expression (usually fear) and the thought made his eyes soften. He was proud to say that he'd gotten her out of there-- proud that he'd managed to get her home like he said he would. Too many times people died senselessly and she didn't need to be the next statistic. Not on his watch.

Not like either of them really had any control. Hell, if anything, they needed each other a shit load to get out of there. He wasn't the only brains in that operation although he certainly was the morphine to her hysteria. Without him, she would have come home a little more special then she already was and without her, he'd never made it out period.

To think that someone could actually concoct such a ridiculous, perverse plan-- well that was the kind of thing that made him never want to have children in this world. Nothing seemed like it could amaze him anymore, although watching that spiny, membranous whatever-it-was shoot out of that living, breathing human being's stump of a neck… well, that had taken the cake at the time but it seemed like child's play really or something from a bad zombie flick. If only the world knew the true evil that was cultivated in those susceptible to evil.

Thinking about it, Sadler had been a sad, sick little man, controlled by power and greed but he had lacked the true dementia that was able to fabricate such a convoluted masterpiece of horror. He'd let the Plagas monster be implanted into the townspeople surrounding his families castle-- his very own land but all because he was weak and feeble minded enough to be controlled as he had been by Salazar.

So many people… The people at Raccoon City and Ashley-- not to mention all the villagers that Salazar was able to infect-- they'd all suffered unnecessarily under his cruelty and the anger he had from his first day on the job so long ago flared violently within him. People like that-- those people were the ones who hurt innocent people. They gave him a job.

In some respects he was grateful for that. If it hadn't been for this whole ordeal, he may have not met Ashley. He never would have met Seth or even Ada-- he'd probably still be a cop and the world would be different without it. Thinking about the what-ifs never gave him any peace of mind but oddly this time around he was almost, relieved that history was already finished and that the present was all he had to worry about.

His present that involved Ashley. The thought of her made a nervous, sickening excitement race through him as if he were a child eager to open presents at Christmas. He had no idea what she was really like in real life-- and even if he did, would he really allow himself to delight in that one small pleasure. He knew damn well just how easily he'd given in to those "desires" before and it was hard for him considering he'd never been in any relationships, be it friend or otherwise, with a woman for very long.

What horrors she had had to endure. She was a girl, almost as old as he was when he had been in Raccoon city-- but he was a man. There was a different kind of protection a girl needed from horrors of that nature. She had innocence, virtue-- so many other things that were theirs for the taking. And they took all they could-- her terrible nightmares were a direct reflection of that. But even still, he was unwilling to see-- unwilling to realize just how damaged she had become from that trip and he hadn't even seen her yet.

Part of him wondered if she'd revert right back to type-- a typical college girl. But he found the prospect of being around her when he was trying to save both their asses, in a normal situation-- oddly exciting. He had to get up and pace around his gigantic room as the nervous energy filled him as he thought of her. He'd been with her for weeks and he'd only ever seen her in one pair of clothes-- with one look-- dirty.

He could hardly imagine her as anything else although the picture he had of her which he kept locked away showed something vastly different then the girl he'd been protecting-- who was scared but strong. Who whined and had been a complete bitch…

Yes… she'd not been the poster-child for a heroine, but it made her unique. He couldn't imagine being a girl, trapped in another country with only one other person to help her. Not to mention, both of them were infected with a drug that could cause them to lose control and hurt the other. As much as he hated the shrill sound of her scream, he didn't fault her for it. If anything, the sound made him want to drag her close…

"Jesus…" he whispered hoarsely into the empty apartment. He rubbed at his eyes, trying to keep them from watering with sleepiness. He hadn't slept much himself since they'd gotten back-- instead he dreamed. But what used to be dreams of Ada had become a terrible mixture of the two women he'd ever protected. The worst part was waking up and knowing that neither of them was close-- that there was nothing that could be done for either of them.

He remembered the way she sounded while she slept and found himself feeling like a fool for feeling sleepy. If anyone got terrible sleep, he knew that was Ashley. But as terrible as it was, he was almost glad when she would dream. It gave him a reason to get close to someone in a confusingly positive way. He felt like with his touch he could help her, save some part of her from herself, but he could see now that he was just trying to satisfy some of his own needs as well.

God… he hadn't been innocent and thinking about it now made his stomach roll with shame and a lust so powerful that it made him slump into the creaking chair at his table, his elbows on his knees as he swiped at his hair. Oh, he remembered the first time he'd touched her as if it was happening that instant-- every breath and trace of skin perfectly memorized within him…

…

_He wasn't able to sleep the entire night. When Ashley began to stir in her bed he had first thought she was merely waking, but she rolled over onto her side and continued to groan. Not wanting to alert anyone around them of their presence he had returned to her side, for what felt like the 30__th__ time that night, and peered over her shoulder to see her sweat covered face contorted into pain. Grabbing her by the shoulders he rolled her gently so that she faced the wall where he was sitting. He felt her relax under his hands and he again returned to his perch, carefully avoiding looking at her face._

_But less then an hour later he heard that ruffle of the sandpaper sheets against each other as she started to pedal her legs as if running in her sleep. It took only a few moments before she was thrashing wildly in the bed, her eyes opening in alarm and catching his with a dead look that made him realize she was still sleeping. As her eyes rolled back into her head she began to cry, tears leaking onto the stained sheets as she moaned repeatedly his name._

_. He'd gotten up from his perch and plucked her off the bed where she was flailing in her sleep, fighting enemies he couldn't see-- couldn't shoot-- couldn't save her from. She moaned in pain, her head rocking against his arm, her mouth opening in a O of terror as she wordlessly blubbered pleas into the warmth of his wide chest-- her voice notably dropped as he touched her and her screams instantly abated. _

_Cradling her close to his body, he pulled her warmth against him as she seemed to fight him off initially. He held her firmly so she could accept the strength he was offering her and bit his lip at the situation he'd been put into. He was able to feel the rapid racing of her heart against his back steadily slow as she began to still-- her dreams subsiding… her fears fluttering away like a bird to the sky. She was again sleeping, her mouth partially open and moist from talking. Tear streaks showed smudges of dirt trials that revealed a beautiful, lovely tan skin on their moist trails._

_He groaned as she shifted, her bum pressing against his groin unknowingly and squirming as she resumed trying to get comfortable in his arms. He watched as she shivered and without thinking leaned back against the bed, drawing her body down with him until he felt her back touch the rough sheets. She groaned again, fearfully but with reserved emotions and he moved one hand to her face, smoothing her hair back from her scalp where it had stuck to her sweat._

…Leon groaned inwardly at the memory, and despite himself he felt a wave of desire swirl through him at the memory. He couldn't stop it from replaying in his mind-- as it had so many times before. It wasn't the last time either, which made it worse. This scene had played out so many times while they'd been abroad-- and now that he was home in a room by himself, the memory was harder to control.

_She was lying mostly on her back, but turned in towards him so he could share as much warmth with her as possible, at least, that's the excuse he gave himself at the time. In truth he had only wanted to stop her screaming-- they didn't need to alert anyone to their presence and she certainly didn't want to wake up from a nightmare to see she was really living in one. He tried to stay as still as possible as her breath fanned against his skin, making him shiver with something other then cold._

"_Leon…"_

_The sound of her whispering his voice brought his attention back to her face, staring intently at her to see if she had awoken his eyes wide at their awkward positions. He didn't think he could stand having to hear it from her for hours and hours about how he'd groped her in her sleep. But she never remembered those dreams and her voice had sounded so pathetic and so childlike… he shamefully felt an instant burn of passion flare through his veins as the sound replayed in his ears and he visualized how her lips would look saying his name as she had._

_Ah yes… _

_It was… so slow yet so quick. His eyes dropped to her lips, curious and he'd leaned forward without thinking and barely inches from her lips felt his face burning with something he couldn't place. He wasn't thinking, his focus only on the sweet parting of her lips as she breathed, and the smell of her body even without having bathed. She was so sweet that he felt like he was lost in a sea of warmth, trapped against the constant rolling of the passionate waves of desire to its ultimate end on the shoreline-- her mouth._

_Before he'd could even think-- or comprehend-- he'd lightly placed his lips on hers feeling the crash of rolling waves of desire sweeping over him and consuming every possible coherent thought he held. He lost himself against the soft swell of her lips as he felt his tongue slowly taste the softness of each part of her-- delighting in the taste as he hadn't ever delighted in any woman before. Distantly he felt the pull of sanity and reason at his mind but he could no sooner stop this emotional onslaught then he could have the sun from rising-- or his enemies from knowing their position._

_As protectiveness flared within him he drew her closer to his body, letting one leg wrap around her tan thighs to draw her closer to him, her soft curves molding against him instantly. He felt his body pulsing with adrenaline as he tried in vain to rain in the control he'd let loose only moments ago. That control which he so prided himself on had been set free by the lustful demon that was aflame within him. _

_She was sleeping beneath him but his eyes had already fallen closed and he hadn't realized that she was beginning to wake. His lips continued to graze hers, pressing lightly against the rounded flesh that seemed to swell with pleasure at the touch. He felt himself melt against her mouth, her lips parting as she began to pant in her sleep. Seeing her open for him so wantonly made fire erupt in his belly as he slid his mouth over hers hungrily, delving his tongue inside of her mouth like the stab of a sword._

"_mmmuhhmmm mmuhh…."_

_Sudden reality seemed to slam him in the face as he opened his eyes and gazed in horror down at the girl below him who was just starting to wake. Her soft brown eyes were opened partially but still held the haze of sleep, her lips slightly swollen from the intensity of his kiss. He instinctively rolled away, falling off the bed with a less then graceful crash, dragging part of the sheets with him. As he tried desperately to catch his breath he swiped at his lips, leaning with his back against the bed-- every inch of his body screaming for a release he knew wasn't possible._

_Struggling for the first time in all his years of training to catch his breath he peered at her through his hair and studied her. She was indeed waking up as she groaned and smacked her lips together. He sighed, trying to relax as pulled his knees towards his chest and placing his elbows on his knees, buried his head in his hands. He was sick with himself. He couldn't even begin to fathom what he'd done and God help him-- he wanted to continue. _

_He took a deep breath and turned to look at her one last time, studying her features in dank room-- curious as to what it was about her that drew him in this way. He was confused beyond anything he'd ever been and he felt like he was a nervous teenager all over again._

…_cool skin shimmering against the soothing flow of light reflecting off the moon. Her features were bathed in the blue light, her blond hair a halo around her head… her eyes… eyes that so easily could flare up with passion and anger in an instant were closed in gentle repose, her lashes lightly touching the smooth curve of her cheek. She was so peaceful… so calm right now that he might have thought she was perfectly normal. _

_Looking at her then… he could maybe fathom what it was that was so alluring about her to him… maybe…_

…

Even now he could still feel the taste of her lips… and the thought gave him an unpleasant jerk in his pants that he viciously shoved back down again. He wasn't a creature of passion-- he lived to protect a person, that's what he had devoted his entire life too-- working his way up through the agencies in order to get further and further up. He wanted to be a private bodyguard-- for one person. Finally he was approached on a mission and after 1 year of training-- here he was.

He wasn't one to easily fall into the throes of passion, so why now? Why with her. There were so many other things that were going through his mind that he seemed almost lost. He couldn't let himself care about another woman, couldn't fail another woman-- but try as he might he simply couldn't get her eyes out of his mind. Those honey colored eyes that seemed so utterly innocent yet strangely seductive.

It must have been the way she appreciated him-- her need for him, be it protection or otherwise, was written clearly in her eyes when she looked at him. They held a pain, a wound that was too deep a river to cross. So many times she seemed like a doe, frail in the moonlight gazing at him in wonderment that was almost childlike, but very ethereal in its beauty. He didn't like reflecting on her-- it simply wasn't any good. But he couldn't deny the fact that he was almost eager to be with her again-- if only to validate that he had succeeded in protecting, in some way, this small girl.

A sound caught his attention suddenly, and he turned towards his door surprised at the interruption. He wasn't someone to eaves drop but his instincts told him to listen closely. It sounded like a domestic disturbance next door. As the sound interrupted his thoughts he felt the strong vibration of his cell phone against his thigh and he reached into it but stopped as he heard something he hadn't expected.

His blood turned to ice as he cursed Seth and bolted for the door.

…

…

…

Hope you liked that chapter.

Let me know what you think and also be aware that this chapter is still up for revision! Everyone if you'd please say a little prayer for my mom and that we'll be able to do all the things we need to do to help her get her health back… If you don't pray, then wish us all luck!

**REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!**

-Luky


	8. Enter The Guardian

Hehe… it was so nice to see that NOBODY saw what I had coming although everyone got the hint! Awesome! It was thrilling to read the comments and especially the one left to me by **fervent.iniquity** for the long and interesting review which really kicked me in the ass to post this chapter! I hope you and everyone loves it as much as I loved writing it! I don't pretend to think I'm an awesome writer but I do my best and it really, REALLY brightens my day every time I see a review alert in my inbox. I'm so glad to have all of you, there are no words.

Would you believe-- two days after my mother got out of the hospital my sister fell of her bike while riding up our neighbor's hill driveway-- fell and broke a bone in her skull and had a bleed in the brain and lost part of her hearing? I swear to God. How much more shit can my poor heart take? I thought I was done with hospitals but Jesus… she's only 11 for Christ's sake. And she wasn't wearing a helmet so the moral of that story is: ALWAYS WEAR A HELMET. Even though every time I got on a bike and broke my arm (a total of 5 times I got on bikes in my life, each time I fell off for whatever reason and broke and arm) I never managed to break my head. Thank god they didn't have to shave her head… Lol. So thanks for the positive thoughts-- it was a great source of irony for me, lol.

Please, enjoy! And REVIEW!

-Luky

…

**Chapter Eight**

…

Enter the Guardian

…

…

…

She'd been home for a few hours, preparing a lonely dinner for herself, in hopes that the smells of cooking would arouse some feeble response of hunger from the scent. It hadn't been working so far.

She'd prepared a lovely slice of tender chicken breast-- steamed cooked with fresh herbs, tomato and garlic- sautéed in a light, but expansive white wine to give it a hint of tangy flavor. Her puree mixture of cheese, bacon, sun dried tomatoes and more was starting to bubble noisily so she added more cream to the mixture and gave it a quick stir. She wandered around her kitchen, searching in her cabinets for the Italian fettuccini noodles she needed to get into the boiling pot of water she'd already prepared.

There was no real sense in preparing a meal like this-- not just for one person-- but she found that the task kept her busy and occupied her. She'd been cooking for about two hours, preparing all the ingredients and making sure she'd chopped up her spices and herbs to tiny little portions so as not to get an offending peace of rosemary to stab her in the gums. But she felt it was important to actually create something that was better then the normal garbage kids her age ate and so she didn't mind the preparation. Nothing beats a home cooked meal.

Plus it was one of the things she was extremely good at. Her father always insisted that if she does anything that doesn't require that "big head" of hers then she should be a chef and run a restaurant. However, unlike her father, she had not taste for dictating the actions of other people. In fact, she hated being in control of things like that-- every time she tried she came out as pushy. Still, it would be nice for somebody to try her food once in awhile to reaffirm just how good she really was.

Humming lightly to herself, she danced around the candlelit kitchen, twirling and beating her cream slathered spoon in the air as if she was a conductor of a great orchestra, or choir. It could have been she was pulling in her childhood memories of Beauty and Beasts and willing the pots and pans to continue to cook for themselves and after Spain, she wasn't sure what the limits of the world really were anymore.

She had tried all day to relax away her stress-- going to the library had been unpleasant to say the least, and she'd tried to steer her thoughts away from Spain and from Leon-- but it hadn't worked very well.

Humming to herself, she danced around the candle lit kitchen. The overhead light seemed to dance on her body and the overhead light was shining down on her long hair, making her whole face sparkle. It was late-- past 5 and she was just finishing dinner for the day. She was firm believer in eating early was healthier then eating late-- but cooking for her hadn't always gone that way.

She was busy stirring her puree in the pan when she heard the doorbell ring. Startled, she dropped the spoon in the pan, causing the puree to splatter up into the air around her face. She jumped back from the stove, and turned her frightened eyes towards the door. Terrified she grabbed a knife she'd been dicing tomatoes with and crept towards the door.

Stepping to it she stood on her tippy toes, her feet immersed in feathery soft cloth as she slid in her pink bunny slippers. Straining, she managed to peek one eye up through the eye hole, and was shocked and relieved when she saw Rick's face mirrored in the view- a brilliant smile across his lips. Heaving a heavy sigh, she relaxed and opened the door slightly-- her fingers grazing the hidden alarm switch against the door frame.

"Now if I didn't know any better-- I'd say you were stalking me, Ryan was it?" she asked, feigning disinterest and not remembering his name. He made a face, his mouth moving to form an O of shock before he laughed and, holding up a bottle of wine and a bouquet of flowers said, "The names Ryan and well, since you can't go to the party-- I figured I'd bring the party to you!"

She laughed despite herself as she had to ask, "How did you know where I lived?"

He grinned, holding out the bouquet for her to take and once she did, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a shiny card. Upon closer inspection in the light she realized it had her face on it. It was her driver's license. She couldn't believe how stupid she had been.

"You left it on the counter and I saw it when I was finished in line so I picked it up-- being the only gentlemanly thing to do would be to return it I decided since you weren't a 'clubbing type of girl I'd do the only thing a handsome young bachelor would do-- and that's bring wine and flowers." He paused for a moment while she gave him a pleasantly bemused look, "I also brought along my dashing looks and remarkable wit incase any of that interested you?"

She laughed, feeling her tension in her body start to slip away. He was so light and easy-- that it was almost like she was able to just forget about all her issues. It was a relief, even if her senses told her to be guarded, to let them down every once in a while. As she thought to herself she felt her hand slip away from the emergency button.

"Well I thank you for the wine… and the license… but I'm pretty busy right now…" she trailed off trying to shut the door. He moved quickly, placing his hand against the door frame effectively stopping her from closing the door on him and gave her a wicked smile.

"No a man comes over expressing his complete interest and you shut the door on him?" he said with a laugh and then added, "honey-- I'm _wounded_!" and placed a hand on his heart looking genuinely beat minus the obvious sarcasm in his voice. Giving a little laugh she relaxed and felt her insides churning at the small endearment. The only person who'd called her names like that had been her father and Leon.

'Leon…' she thought sadly, remembering the way that he looked even when they'd spent days out in the heat and feeling sick.

Taking her by surprise she felt the door push open as he peered over her shoulder, sniffing the air and looking highly interested about the interior of the studio-like apartment, "Smells like somebody knows where a woman's talents really lie…" he said, pushing past her and walking straight into his apartment.

She felt her attitude flare at the sexist comment but stuffed her temper down. She'd been too tired all day from everything she'd been doing that she didn't feel like letting him hear her opinion on the matter. Plus, he'd been nice enough to bring her license but it seemed like it was more on his way of finding out where she lived. That was a little weird…

"Well my father wasn't much of a cook so I learned after my mother died," she said softly, a bit of her attitude coming out into the open despite herself, "otherwise it would have been take out every night."

"Or charity dinners?" he said without looking at her.

Insulted she said, "Key word being, _charity_."

A little perturbed that he'd invited himself in and been a little odd since entering her apartment, she took her license and carried it over to her purse on the counter, putting the cutting knife behind it. Despite herself, she didn't want to take any chances-- and she'd die from embarrassment if he saw she was carrying a knife. He'd probably call her a maniac after seeing her library list this afternoon, she thought humorlessly.

"Look I've had a long day and thanks for your help but I really didn't need it. I'm sure you knew I could get another license…" When he didn't answer she continued, feeling a little rude, "I wasn't preparing enough for two people but I might be able to make it work for two if you'll accept a home cooked meal as repayment." Despite having just met the man she felt oddly connected to him. He made her feel odd, almost nervous but not really and not in the kind of nervous butterfly affect when you met someone you might be attracted to. She didn't trust her instincts after her run in with the Los Illuminados. It was hard for her to trust anyone, let alone a complete stranger.

"I'd like that." he said, smiling at her with the same award winning smile he'd been giving her each time she saw him. He turned to study her desk and moved confidently around the room. He was so cocky and sure of himself. It was almost relieving to have that kind of personality around her even if she didn't appreciate it to much.

"To go, right?" she said to herself, her hands on the counter where she'd set the knife behind her purse.

"Looks like you just moved in," he said, completely ignoring her comment and looking around the room. His eyes had a strange way of taking in every little detail that reminded her of her bodyguards. It made her wonder what he did for a profession. It was unnerving but at the same time interesting, and she wasn't about to throw away company-- even if she'd already brought some home a few days earlier.

"Yeah… I needed something a little bigger even though it's just me-- plus I really wanted to be by the school and by the ocean…" she said looking towards the balcony where she'd been setting up a table to eat at. Thinking about it she grabbed the candles on the counter that she'd been planning to light and put outside on her little table and headed for the door.

"You like the ocean?" he called out to her. She had disappeared with two candle holders onto the balcony behind the white sheer curtains that were floating eerily in the wind. It was a great night to eat outside and even though she had been looking forward to a peaceful evening alone. She came back into the room, looking a little flustered but otherwise high spirited as she came to the counter-- giving her boiling pasta a turn.

"Well… yes. Something about it makes me feel safe. I never really went into it much as a kid but it was always refreshing to hear the waves breaking against the shoreline. It sooths me and helps me sleep."

"You have trouble sleeping?" he asked and she chided herself for being so forth coming with every bit of information. He was really good at that.

"I… well, not really…" she lied as she walked over to the pasta and dumped it into a strainer. "How about you? Like the beaches?" she asked, turning to look at him, a noodle she'd tasted to see if it was cooked all the way dangling from her mouth.

He sighed, "I love the beach. I'm always there-- not much for it now though. Every time I go on the beach I have bad memories. I'd think with your bad history with beaches you wouldn't want to be anywhere near them?" he asked her.

_When she was finally able to make out some of the faces on the beach she stiffed without realizing it, instantly afraid that she may face danger on those banks. Her haunted eyes shown a glimmer of brightness at the realization that the people on the beach were in fact, normal human beings-- people who weren't trying to kill her, but who were trying to see what was going on. Not to mention, Leon wasn't going to let any of them hurt her, duty or not._

"Well it seems you know a lot about me and I don't really know anything about you, Rick was it?" she said giving him an odd glance and he shrugged, looking away and back out onto the balcony towards the water…

"I try not to let those memories hurt me, you know? I think my mother would have wanted it that way in the end? It's best to put the past behind you and move on with your life and she wouldn't want me hating it forever. Funny that everyone seems to know everything about me." she said slowly, trying to pull away from her hazy memories. She didn't want to remember-- hadn't wanted to in more then a few months. A few years.

She watched as he turned away from the balcony and strutted towards her. It was impossible not to notice the obvious swagger he had in his hips. She could tell he was a real lady killer even though his nose was pretty awful looking. She wasn't much for blonds but she'd decided that she wasn't really interested in dating anyone, or even going out at all. Not for a while anyway. Not for a long time.

He was watching her closely, as he opened the bottle of red wine he'd bought, popping the cork out with the cork screw she'd had out for her own wine she'd used to cook. Pouring it into the class she watched the way the red liquid seemed like blood swirling from the tip of a pistol. He was twirling the delicate stem between his fingers and eyeing her closely. She felt like his gaze was trying to see into her thoughts and it made her uncomfortable.

"Well I'd like to know everything about you, Ashley." his tone had changed, dangerously so as he eyed his glass, admiring the way the warm sparkling liquid danced along the curved cup. Ashley felt a dizzying rush flood her head as she remembered all the blood. So much blood.

A little dizzy she laughed to herself, refusing to give in to that obvious charm as she said, "well pick a book and turn on a TV. I'm sure ET has lots of interesting things to say about me and you can decide from that what's true."

He smiled, twirling the glass in his strong fingers. She felt her insides quiver-- and she chided herself. She shouldn't be afraid of him, but she, try as she might, couldn't help her fingers that slowly slid along the counter towards her purse which was beside her. Something about the atmosphere in the room was changing.

"Well why would I talk to ET when I have the real source right in front of me? And you've been unreachable for weeks- months. Nobody's heard a peep from you in months and why would that be, Ashley?"

She groaned inwardly at the question and her defenses kicked in. "I don't believe I'm here for an interview." she said, snapping at him angrily as fear went ablaze in her heart like a wildfire. He was different. He was acting different. Forcing her voice to be as steady as possible she said, "I really think you should take your meal to go Mr. Rick."

His eyes suddenly flew to hers-- having lost their shine, all traces of laughter gone as his brows lowered dangerously and his voice dropped in pitch. "Well that's what I'm here for, you know? Not for a meal. I came for information. I came to figure out what it was you were doing almost 4 months ago. Where were you Ashley?" he asked without a smile, his eyes glinting in the overhead light. The wine looked like blood now.

"I don't know what your talking abo--" she started but her interrupted her calmly, his voice laced with reserved anger.

"Well you see, we all have our bad memories but my worst memory seems to be when I first saw you on the beach in Spain. I was supposed to be on vacation and imagine my shock and surprised when America's sweetest face was being dragged up the beach, covered in blood and passed out?"

She froze, her utter horror reflected in his mirthless eyes. It was as if he'd disappeared behind a mask with a bulbous face that was twisted in anger behind that broken nose. Her insides shrieked for her to run-- flashes of memory exploding in her vision as her adrenaline surged through her veins. She watched, stunned as he got up from her brand new swivel chair and stalked slowly towards her-- the kindly smile and swagger gone.

"You see-- I can't manage to forget about the beach, Ashley-- I can't forget seeing you on the beach with that man-- covered in blood. What were you doing there that day??"

She inhaled sharply, her defensiveness kicking in, "Who are you?!" she asked in a flat, angry tone.

"I'm Rick Reynolds-- Do you remember my name now? Oh, don't remember me? I remember you-- that's how my nose got broken, you don't recall?" He said as he advanced towards her, his voice shifting to the more familiar upbeat tone before dropping again. "I used to work for ET but I got fired when I disappeared without any notice for 3 months in a fucking dungeon."

"Your… you're a reporter?" she asked, whispering it like a dirty word. How the hell did he find her? How the hell did he know about Spain? She tried to recall the faces she'd seen on the beach but she'd been too far away and too exhausted that she'd just passed out. She didn't even know who this man was and what had happened to him. A dungeon? Was he insane?

"That's right. And because of you I was thrown into a tile room for coming in contact with you. I lost my job-- my girlfriend-- my apartment-- everything! Your dumb ass bodyguard even broke my fucking _nose_!!" He spat the words angrily but his face didn't deviant from its tortured mask. She couldn't feel pity when she was awash with fear-- couldn't feel anything but terror as he advanced slowly on her.

'Well it doesn't look that bad…' she thought numbly. The thought popped into her mind and it gave her the insane urge to laugh at the ridiculousness of it.

"What do… what do you want?!" she asked weakly backing away from him as he closed the distance between them.

"Well I've only got a couple of questions to ask, if you will Ms. Graham. Scratch that-- a lot. Starting with what you were doing on the beach? Who was that man who was carrying you-- secret service? I need this story you see to make up for everything you've done to me. If I get a good story from you without any trouble then I might just not have to hurt you…" She felt her insides turn to ice as his obvious rage showed through the calm mask of his face. She trembled, paralyzed to the spot by those crystal blue eyes. How could she ever think they reminded her of Leon-- Leon never glared as this man was doing now? Leon wouldn't hurt her. Not on purpose.

'Leon…'

"He…lp…" she whimpered as he stepped closer, taking one shaking step back, unable to see the knife hiding behind her purse. Suddenly she was overwhelmed with a sense of dread. Leon wasn't here to help her-- nobody was. Leon wasn't coming; he hadn't called or even tried to contact her since the last time she remembered seeing him on the beach. He didn't care and it was obvious. And she was in this tiny apartment with all its fancy gadgets that meant nothing when she couldn't reach them to call for help.

"What's that you say?" he whispered lowly, creeping towards her. She was so confused-- what did she ever do to this man? How did he know her from the beach, she couldn't even remember most of it… all of it practically. She knew that Leon had been there and had taken her out of there but that was it. She hadn't done anything to this man.

"Help me… Leon…" she whispered, unable to break the habit of reaching out to the only man she felt she could. But he was nowhere near her now-- and she had nobody to depend on but herself. She was completely alone.

'Alone…'

'Alone just like when Mom died.' she thought wildly.

She hadn't moved in what felt like ages. She tried to stop the furious beating of her heart but despite herself she couldn't seem to relax and couldn't move from where she stood next to her purse. As he took a steady, powerful step towards her she felt her inside shudder in fear.

"You see, it's because of you that I was thrown into a little cell for several months-- I couldn't go anywhere, do anything. They watched me shower and shit in their and fed me slop to eat while you were off fine dining with Daddy, or isn't that right? A Charity dinner was it?" he asked stepping so close she could almost reach out and touch him.

Suddenly he pounced and her vision blurred as his hands whipped around to cruelly grab her arm and twist in towards him. She gave a cry, feeling her heart flop over as he pulled her close-- too close-- _too close_. She had to protect herself; she was the only person here to do it. If she could just get to an emergency button…

As he was speaking she reached over him with her free arm towards her purse, biting her lip in determination as her hands grappled with the slippery knife still slick with tomato juices. He was too slow to see her turn and bring the knife slicing down against the skin of his arm that was gripping her, bruising the fragile skin on her arm. Blood seemed to suddenly blossom from the wound that was at least 2 inches long, but shallow.

He gasped in shock, staring in shock as the blood flowed freely down his arm. She used that opportunity to squirm away, stomping on his foot and running as fast as he could around the island in her new kitchen. She was running to her nightstand where there would be an emergency button and intercom. She was just about to reach it when she felt her head snap back-- painfully making her scream out in shock and fear.

Her vision blurred as Rick grabbed her by the hair, swinging her around and slamming her against the wall-- both of his hands reaching up to press her against it hard. She was slightly dizzy from having her long hair jerked but tried to regain control as quickly as she could to hear him hissing in her ear.

"You BITCH!" He screamed, slamming her against it again making her stomach roll with nausea and fear. Dizziness flooded her vision as her head made another sickening THWACK against the hard drywall. She moaned in fear as he held her against the wall with his own body. She felt like a trapped animal as she felt her memories sweeping up from the depths of her subconscious where all her worst memories were hidden…

_Memories she had buried-- horrible memories of being held down-- hurt and humiliated radiated through her causing her to shake violently. Blood staining her skin and dripping along her thigh. She was screaming. Screaming for Leon. Screaming and screaming and screaming-_

"No… leave me alone!" she cried, starting to struggle against him but his breath was hot in her ear as he pinned her flailing body against the wall. She gasped as his face appeared, inches from her face, and she could see the anger and pain within the man's dazzling blue eyes-- once so friendly but now so blatantly angry.

Trying to get away and feeling his warm blood washing over her arm and chest she gave a desperate kick at his knee and groin but missed as he jerked his body to the side. Rethinking his position he placed both knees between her legs, in effort to stop her from kicking again. She felt the blood pouring from his arm drip onto her exposed thigh and for an awful instant she was back in the castle…

…_sitting in the room she felt sick and wanted to puke. Blood from her ordeal had been smeared against her thigh, making it impossible to forget what had happened. It was okay, she'd forget… she didn't want to remember it. Her skirt was torn and her legs shook as pain continuously throbbed from her stomach up, her entire body aching…_

"_NOOOOOOOOOOOOO_!" She gave a sudden, earth shattering shriek that was full of horror as the memory threatened to resurface. An inhumane strength filled her as latent strength pulsed through her veins and she lifted her knee as hard as she could against his side, using her nimble body to kick him hard enough to make him drop her. As she felt her shaking legs connect with the floor she pushed away from him while he was desperately trying to gain his breath back.

She bolted, her eyes bulging as she ran towards her bed, blindly reaching for any kind of weapon to defend herself. She grunted like a trapped animal as she grabbed a pillow from her bed, disturbing its occupant and sending her scuttling to the floor with a yelp of surprise. Rick advanced quickly, "You fucking bitch!!" He yelled, getting close to her again grabbing her by the arms and throwing her against the bed.

She scrambled against the bed, trying frantically to run away from the horrible memories that were swimming past her eyes feeling the sheets reach up and trap her it's many folds. "No!" she screamed, "I don't want to REMEMBER! Stop! Leave me alone-- don't _TOUCH ME!!" _

She gasped as his hand grabbed at her ankle, pulling her down her silken sheets making her feel as if she was floating. She slid against the sheets, her hands flying to her skirt to keep it from flaring up above her waist-- to preserve her modesty, what little left she had. She'd made it out of Spain just to be abused at the hands of a damned crazy man? She was desperate to get away, almost feral in her fear. He was going to hurt her like she had been-- she couldn't bear it, she'd rather die then be hurt like that again!!

He reached for her thigh, his blood covered hand still gripping her ankle when she saw a blur of blue and black flash behind him. Closing her eyes she felt the pressure on her legs immediately cease as she saw Rick's eyes widen in surprise as he seemed to float into the air above her, his hands cart wheeling in the air before he flew to the side towards her couches. She gasped, shocked as she opened her eyes, hardly believing what she saw as she watched him crash into the leather couch.

"Leon?!" she cried out, staring in disbelief at him as he pounced on the other, smashing his fist angrily against his face, sending him flying again. He seemed to ignore her-- he was consumed with a rage she'd only seen a few times before while in Spain and her shock at what was happening and finally seeing him again was too great to allow any real excitement and joy. Just shock.

Rick gave a futile groan of pain as Leon hefted him to his feet, kneeing him hard against the groan before pushing him back against the wall. He looked exactly the same as he did in her memories, only now he was wearing a dark blue pair of blue jeans that fit him well. She was amazed at how good he managed to look even while furious. Realizing how things must have looked she shamefully tried to cover herself as he leaned over, examining the man and pulling out a cell phone.

"Seth." she heard him say.

"There's been an issue at my apartment, have Hunnigan send over a SP to come retrieve him." he paused, listening; "how the hell could you have hid this from me?"

She listened with a half ear, feeling on the verge of fainting as the adrenaline in her system seemed to cause her to flow to the brink of exhaustion. He talked angrily into the phone for a minute longer before looking over his shoulder at her, catching her eyes with his.

She couldn't tear her eyes away from him but he turned away and she was left feeling oddly put off-- and she maybe even a little lost. She wanted him to turn around and address her-- pay attention to her-- she needed him… God, what would have happened had he not come? She felt tears spring to her eyes and felt her body moving before she realized it.

"Well thanks a lot for the warning; you can tell the President I am done with these games."

"Leon?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. He turned to see her walking towards him on shaky legs. She seemed so lost and frail-- so womanly. He tried to fight the thought from entering his mind but the only thing he could see was the way her eyes seemed to devour him with their gaze. It was as if she was the window to a completely different world and he was being sucked right in.

He didn't hesitate, he quickly closed the distance between him in a few short strides, abandoning the man on the floor and forgetting all else, including the backup that was coming. He stopped just short of her, his arms aching to take hold of her-- to keep her steady and hold her up. The urge to hug her was so strong but he held her arms length away from him, lightly touching her so as not to hurt her.

"Are you hurt?" he asked, looking her over quickly.

She couldn't tell what he was thinking from the look on his face but she knew she just had to make sure he was real-- she'd been through so much…. She had been so lonely these past few months without even so much as a word. She'd longed for this moment everyday-- to say thank you for everything he'd done for her-- for protecting her… for so much…

"Ashley…I-" he stopped as she suddenly seemed to tip forward against him, her face pressing against his chest as she wrapped her slender arms around him. He stiffened, his eyes widening, and was unsure of how to react but his arms moved without him realizing it to press her against him, holding her closer against him as she seemed to sag in relief.

He could smell her hair… it was so light and utterly feminine, like the soft curves that he could feel pressed against him. He hadn't known she felt this good until he was holding her again, and no memory was enough. Even as warning bells rang in his head he looked down at her as she tilted her tear filled eyes to meet his. The swam in the darkness of the room, mesmerizing him as he moved one hand to her cheek, lightly wiping the tears that had spilled there. The soft texture of her skin against his seemed to freeze his hand there, cherishing in the feel of her--

"Leon…" she whispered, her heart swimming and her heart fluttering against her chest as she felt him smooth his hand across her cheek, his other coming up slowly to gently cup the back of her head. She felt the warmth of his breath fan across her tear streaked face. She felt a small choking sob come from within her as she felt the tenderness in his hand against her face.

She was crying… Damn him, it turned him on. He was so relieved. He'd heard the screaming and it wasn't something he could ever forget. Hearing it again was like a memory-- a nightmare of his own that he hadn't thought he'd hear so soon. But as he stared down at her he felt his boundaries start to crumble beneath the intense yearning he saw in her eyes.

Liquid heat pooled inside him as he struggled against the intoxicating warmth of her body pressed against him and he felt his hands tip her face towards him. The sound of his name passing from her lips was enough to draw his eyes there, flickering upon restraint and need. He watched her eyes flutter closed with trust, desire and something else he couldn't name.

Before he knew it, he was leaning over her-- their lips touching. His control sputtered out and died like a failing engine and he was drawn into the unrelenting waves of relied, need, fear, lust, and so many things he never let loose ever before. They brushed lightly at first, hesitantly, yet shaking with a restrained need as she breathed softly, looking up at him startled and trembling in his arms. He felt her breath catch in surprise as he looked at her, pressing against her silkiness again, her eyes swimming dangerously as he deepened the kiss, wrapping one arm around the small of her back and anchoring her in place.

Her mind went blank as she saw the look in his eyes as he kissed her, watching them fall closed with passion. As she felt his mouth sliding hungrily over hers she felt something inside of her break loose like storm wave crashing on the sand. The emotions swarmed through her, fogging her brain as she felt his soft motions against her lips and she gave into him willingly-- wantonly. She was breathless, but they didn't stop as the kiss became more and more intense. She was clinging to him as her arms somehow found their way around his neck, pulling him against her weakly.

Distantly he was aware of the blue and red lights beginning to fill the room. It had only been a moment but it felt like hours as she felt his hand tease the skin of her hip where her blouse had slid up and the touch sent fire racing along her skin to her heart, where it burned intensely in her heart making her head light and her body limp in his arms. She would have fallen over but as always, he held her in place, enjoying the taste of her as she did him and protecting her-- strengthening her.

'I can't believe… you're here…' she thought as tears slipped from her closed eyes, her lips trembling as she felt the urge to cry with relief. As she felt the kiss start to stop she opened her eyes, startled to see that the room was filled with light. People would be here any minute. What would they say? Would they take him away again??

He slowly tried to pull away, easing his way out of the kiss and withdrawing from her as his hands fell to her arms, away from the sweet temptation of her skin. She stopped, her lips swollen from kissing and her head swimming with too many emotions to name-- she felt as if she were floating, the butterflies erupting as he lightly placed his forehead on hers, trying to hide from her questioning eyes still shimmering with tears.

'What have I done?' he thought, horrified at his self. He couldn't deny what he'd felt and it felt damn good. It felt damn right that was for sure. But Jesus… what had he done?!

"Leon..?" she questioned as he leaned back, his hair partially obscuring his eyes. She looked up, hope and tears shining in her eyes. It was something… wasn't it? Surely that meant he cared after all this time… maybe he did care about her after all… Her eyes searched his, seeing the emotional storm that waged there and she immediately felt guilt flare in her heart.

"I…" he started, stepping awkwardly away from her, leaving her feeling oddly deflated and cold. She watched him as he mumbled something and turned away from her. She watched him stop, his back to her as he reached up and scratched his head and she felt her heart leap into her throat as he started to walk towards the door.

Seizing her moment she cried out to him--

"Leon-- I'm sorry! I didn't mean to p-push you aw-away… wi-with my… of-offer…" her voice transitioning to barely above a whisper as she stuttered out a response. She felt her heart suffering as she tried to excuse herself-- but she couldn't find the words for what she wanted to say. She couldn't pull herself together.

"I'm wasn't pushing you away..." was his soft reply as his eyes fell to the man on the floor that was just beginning to stir. He hadn't known what had come over him when he saw her there, trapped against the bed. He was afraid-- afraid that he had come too late and he had afraid that his inability to accept his duty, his desire to protect her had caused her more harm that could have been prevented had he been a stronger man.

"We shouldn't have done that…"

She sighed, feeling lightheaded as tears ran down her face as he spoke again, "People will be here in minutes-- we'll discuss this later, okay--" the sound of a thud on the floor caused him to turn, seeing Ashley sprawled on the floor, apparently having fainted. He didn't hesitate as he turned and plucking her off the floor, set her down among the white sheets while her lips, ever so inviting, parted with the gentle repose of exhausted sleep.

…

…

…

Finally… the moment we've all been waiting for and I hope that I made it worthwhile for the wait. I hope this long entrance has done a good job of convincing you that this story is not about just sex. They've got a very tangible relationship between these two and from this I hope that we'll be able to see them take off. They both have a longing for each other that I feel was pretty well established and they needed the break. Absence makes the heart grow fonder and I believe that in the case of people who are truly meant for each other!

And almost everyone picked up on how weird Rick was! Does anyone remember me mentioning Leon smacking a reporter on the beach? Yep, he did-- that was in Chapter 2! And although the beginning it weird-- I've started rewriting it to make it more believable where they land on a beach in Spain and fly home and everyone, including the plane they fly home in (with everyone they came in contact with on the beach), goes straight into quarantine. I'll post it eventually but hopefully that clears up that confusion.

Please let me know how I did on this-- if it was believable or what… if you liked it-- what you didn't like. I've also hinted at something a shit load sicker then what you might even think of for this story in this chapter and in others as well but you never know-- people have the uncanny ability to see straight into the darkest of situations. Or maybe that's just my way of dealing with my dark past… Who knows? Anybody get the correlation to the title and the story other then the obvious part about her nightmares?? I'm so glad this time has finally come! Thanks so much for reviews and wait until next chapter-- boohoo!!

Oh and sorry for making her pass out-- I'd pass out after some shit like that too... Honestly…

Thanks so much and as always, REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!

-Luky


	9. Hockey Pucks

It's been awhile, sorry. I just haven't had the time in amidst all my wedding planning, working, school and my family-problems to do anything but breath, sometimes eat, and sleep (again, sometimes). I'm so sick of wedding planning that I totally understand why all those crazy whacked-out Bridezillas say they are SO glad it's over. Isn't it supposed to be OUR day, not everyone else's? It also sucked because due to the american economy, his company decided they didn't need an IT manager in their home office anymore (figured they could just wing it) and he was "let go". Ouch.

Sprry for not updating. Try not to expect an update this next month unless (wedding and honeymoon in 22 days!) I get a really good response to this chapter and get good reviews A special thanks for Crash kicking me in the ass to post this… Sometimes that little reminder that people are waiting for something eagerly makes it really boost that motivation :-] Merry Christmas Crash!

P.S.-- Please tell me what you are thinking J I need all the critique/support I can get right now J

-Luky

…

**Chapter Nine: **

…

Hockey Pucks

…

…

…

_She was scared._

_Alone and naked she felt fear race through her as her bare skin shivered against something hard and cold that she was restrained against. She tried so hard to cover her nakedness, shame flaring through her, but she found she was unable to move her arms and legs. Her legs were spread and even as she tried in vain to close them she couldn't find the strength to pull them together._

_A tremor shook through her as tried to struggle against the strong bonds that were chaining her against the cold steel but she was unable to move even to touch her face. She gurgled noisily and felt the straps on her wrists and ankles cutting into her vulnerable skin. Her throat convulsed as she tried to move-- tried to speak-- to call out for help but nothing came out except incoherent babbling like that of an infant._

_Her mouth moved and her tongue felt as if it was three sizes too large and seemed to choke her as her eyes strained to see where she was. She could smell that strong smell of antiseptic-- vinegar and bleach. Cleaning products. The smell was so poignant that she felt the urge to puke. The smell sent a slice of fear through her heart as she knew she was here again-- trapped again. Through the blur of her vision she saw a shape, a figure stepping towards her that was a blur of white and brown tones._

_She moaned as she felt something stab her skin and she gasped, liquid fire pouring into the wound. She screamed, pain glazing her thoughts and sending her mind tumbling over agony and misery as she tried to escape the searing pain. It was so intense that she felt she would pass out and she twitched and shook uncontrollably against her chains. After what felt like forever she began to feel limp, unresponsive as fire spread through her system until it dully burned within her limbs making her feel incredibly sleepy_

_She watched the figure disappear as if from a distance and she heard an oddly familiar sound in the background of the room start to beep faster as horror and disgust started to fill her. She felt her fear twist, flowing through her as she tried in vain to mentally prepare herself for what she knew happened next. As the door closed behind the brown blur she felt the frigid wash of arctic air across her body, making her nipples harden causing her to twinge in pain. Her breathing quickened even as she felt the door open again. _

_She was numbly aware of someone different coming into the room and as they did they turned towards the door and locked it, a metallic sound filling the room. She tried in vain to look into the face of this menace that she knew so well but all she could see was a blurred image, like a reflection on disturbed water. As it neared she felt the darkness closing in on her and her fear reached new heights as nausea rolled in her stomach. _

_She was floating… floating so high… so high that she felt she might actually escape what happened next. But she never could. She never would escape._

_Even as her mind screamed and wished it could reach out and swipe the hand away-- she knew what it wanted. It would take what it wanted, it always did. Her mouth opened in protect but as the warm hand touched her icy skin she felt the revulsion swimming through her and she moaned in fear and pain as it grappled with her body, touching her-- the hand… the hand was touching her…_

…

She awoke in her bed as she did everyday-- overwhelming fear consuming her thoughts as she gasped for breath-- trying in vein to stop the horror of her dreams from coming into reality. Despite her all consuming fear of remembering her dreams she knew she had to try and cling to the memories as Dr. Midori had instructed. But just like every other sleepless morning, try as she might, the residual echoes of her dreams slipped through her fingers like water from a leaky pipe. She'd tried as hard as she could to remember what exactly she was dreaming like Midori had instructed her to do but she could never remember them the morning after… just the strong scent of antiseptic and ammonia.

As she clutched her chest, gasping for breath she realized that she was at home, and the familiar sound of clanking pots and pans, cracking eggs and sizzling bacon filled her spacious apartment slowly erasing the clenching fear that had seized her heart. The smell of breakfast foods drifted to her nose as she remained immobile on the bed and were a small reminder of how delicious breakfast food was and how unbelievably hungry she had been. It sounded like it used to when her mom used to cook dinner for her and her father…

Peeking over her shoulder and her tousled blond hair she saw a dark haired man standing in her kitchen, humming and seemingly cooking on her stove. She noticed that although the back of his head wasn't enough to prove his innocent presence, she didn't think a Ganado was mulling around in her kitchen making what smelled like… eggs and bacon. He had an aura about him that was both dangerous and soothing and even though her heart ached to trust, she could find no shred of hope within it to cling to.

"I hope you like over hard because I'm not much of a chef, my dear…" came a calm, natural sounding voice that obviously belonged to the dark haired man. Sitting up she touched her forehead, eyeing the man suspiciously as he addressed her, "and don't be surprised if my pancakes taste like hard tack-- like I said, I never had to cook gourmet for anyone but myself and as you can see- there isn't much to me…"

Despite her initial reservations, the voice seemed good natured and she felt her quivering insides relax the tight knots they'd formed as he spoke. Clearing her throat softly, she gingerly addressed him, "Who are you? Are you an agent?" her voice croaked with the vestiges of sleep and her tummy rumbled as she heard the sizzle and pop of a fatty piece of bacon bursting in the bubbling pan.

"Well my dear," he said, turning to show her his friendly features and lopsided grin, "the names Seth- Seth Ryan if you will and yes and you could say I'm an agent but I'm a different breed entirely. Now if you don't mind, I'd rather we talk about this over breakfast because, well…. uh--" he paused, looking over his shoulder where her stove was, "-I'm currently burning the bacon. Do you mind?" and she nodded, mute at his odd behavior. Despite herself she felt oddly like laughing.

"Okay, well, Mr. Rya-"

"That's okay dear-- friends call me Seth, your dad too. I'm a friend of Leon's. I'm here to watch over you while he takes care of a little business, at least until I drop you off at the doctors today. This will be the first time we've met but I've been working for your father for almost a year now…" She just listened as he spoke. He seemed content with explaining things to her about what was going on. "Do you remember anything about last night???" he asked, turning to give her a look that seemed to know more then he was letting on…

…_she felt his mouth sliding hungrily over hers…_

She remembered. Dear God did she remember. She shuddered as a thrill of electricity shivered down her body. It was almost too wonderful a thought to remember-- but had it even been real? It could have been a dream but Leon was too good to be something she'd dream-- he was so very real that she could almost feel the growth of hair that she had tangled her hands in last night. Nothing else seemed as real as that. Not even this man in front of her now.

"Well obviously there is something your remembering rather vividly, I assume," he probed, giving her bright red face a brief glance before changing the subject after she didn't respond, "As much as I'd love to chit chat about it, I'm sure you'll be doing enough of that with Dr. Midori later. Until then, your stuck with me and frankly I have a few rules you have to obey every time a situation presents itself requiring your immediate cooperation…"

"And what would those be, Mr. Rya- Seth?" she asked innocently.

"Rule number one-- I cook, you clean. Kitchen rules." he said as he swerved around expertly in her kitchen. His food might not taste good but he looked right at home in her kitchen and it was like he'd always been there in the morning, like this was one of many days. She briefly wondered if Leon would ever master her kitchen as Seth was doing now-- with an uncanny knowledge over where everything seemed to be. It was no wonder-- the whole thing had been set up by somebody else anyway.

"How did you get in here? Where's Leon?" she asked, rubbing her head which had a lovely lump right on the back. Try as she might, she couldn't remember much after Rick Reynolds had arrived-- she knew he'd attacked her but the memories were foggy and she kind of liked it that way. She'd rather not know. She'd rather not remember even if it made her a coward.

She felt a warm lapping on her foot as she realized her little puppy on the floor trying desperately to get her attention with kisses. Picking the pup up she gave her and appreciative rub behind the ears before setting her on the warm bed and letting her curl into a ball to sleep. She was supposed to be her company but it felt more like she was ignoring her then anything. She promised herself she'd give her little girl some attention later.

"Cute little dog. Not much for a guard dog though, it would bite an intruder unless it had a piece of bacon wrapped around his foot…" he trailed off and with a snap of his fingers, the little pup instantly woke and bounded off the bed to sit right by his large feet, her face tilted towards the burnt bacon strip heading straight for her panting jaws.

"How did you know I was petting the dog?" she asked, bemused,

"There's not much I miss."

"I gather…"

Getting off her bed she stood a little shakily, her head spinning just a little as if she had sat up too fast, and then plopped back onto the bed. She was surprised to see that she hadn't been able to hold herself up and felt heat wash over her face at how weak she was. As she rubbed her legs she realized dully that she was not in the same clothing she had been wearing the night before. The thought sent a thrill of fear up her spine before she relaxed again, oddly feeling comforted for waking up with something on at all.

…_she was naked…_

"And don't worry, we had a nurse change you and clean you up-- you had some of the guys blood on you but your all better now, so don't worry. Please Go ahead and set the table, would you?" he asked, tossing what looked like hockey pucks into a bowl and letting the burnt bacon grease drain into the pink, heart shaped dog bowls that were on the floor. The pup was happy to assist in cleanup duty.

She laughed a little at the effort, hoping that she wasn't going to have to really eat anything. She hadn't eaten in more then twenty four hours but she wasn't hungry at all. She didn't even care about the food she had made last night and had no idea where it had gone too.

"It's good to hear you laugh, Ashley-- your father would be happy to hear it. You haven't been eating much have you?" he asked, his green eyes locking on hers from across the room. And for the first time she felt a bit of seriousness in his tone as he asked that last question. Pity she had some of her own.

"I was making dinner last night but…" she trailed off as she walked towards the kitchen to get the plates. She opened the cabinet and stood on the tips of her toes to reach the plates. It was a shame that she couldn't have put things away where she liked, but she'd been told not to move anything around. Everything was in its place for agents to act, despite the fact that they didn't get here as fast as they needed too. But who said they needed to know where the plates were. How did that affect their ability to save her life?

She tried to remember what had happened last night but so much of it was still foggy. She had let Rick inside the apartment but… she couldn't remember much of anything else. Just flashes of motion that blurred in front of her eyes and made her heart stutter in response. She didn't want to remember even if she was trying too-- her mind was telling her not to-- she was content with that much.

Seth had been watching her from the corner of his eyes, watching as she froze, apparently in some kind of deep thought. She was still holding the plates in the air and looked dazed. Distantly he wondered if what happened last night was as bad as Leon had made it seem. It was obvious that there was something between the two of them and the thought of Leon being soft on a girl-- made Seth's lips tip at the corner in a slight smile.

Reaching over he snapped her out of her daze by taking the two plates from her hands and giving her a pointed gaze he said with a sly smile, "no daydreaming now-- the food I cooked is getting cold!" He smiled and walked towards the table where he set the plates down. Turning to look at Ashley's blushing face he turned his head at an odd angle and walking towards her said, "well if I can make you blush like that, maybe that means I should be taking you to dinner instead of making you breakfast..?" he said suggestively and winking-- making her blush darken if possible. The sly tip of his grin made the suggestive tone of his voice confuse her as to whether or not he was truly joking.

Just as he had started speaking the door opened, right on time in fact, for Leon to step in and hear what he'd said. Without thinking he'd shouted angrily, "What the hell do you think your doing Seth?" his eyes immediately flying to the hand that was lightly placed on the girls shoulder. He watched as Seth erupted into torrents of laughter, grasping his stomach as Leon rushed over to Ashley, grabbing her by the arms and asking her, "are you okay?" with an intense look in his eyes as he gave her several once over's.

Ashley was startled, sure, but she'd been thinking about Leon's kiss when Seth had leaned over her, making her eyes snap to his eyes-- catching the mischievous wink. When the door had started to open she had turned towards it, her heart in her throat as she watched Leon step through the doorway. If she'd still be holding the plates she knew for sure she would have dropped them.

With him standing so close to her she could smell the dark, masculine scent of his skin waft up to her nose making her feel as if she were under a trance while he peered into her eyes, searching for some sort of distress. She was mutely nodding that she was okay while Seth continued to cackle in the background. She couldn't draw her eyes away from Leon's as he searched her face-- his hand coming up to her face to swipe at the bruise that had formed on her cheekbone.

She felt her breath stutter out as he stepped away from her, dropping his hands and addressing Seth directly; "Damn it Seth-- enough of your jokes! Do you think it's funny to give a girl like her a scare after everything she's been through? Damn it man…" he yelled, waving his arms angrily.

Seth just kept laughing as he held up his hands in mock defense as Leon advanced. He hadn't missed that little moment right there and it was exactly as he had been thinking. He was going to have to investigate it more-- it was no wonder the President had insisted that Leon continue his duties. He was a little surer of the decision after seeing the two of them together.

"Hey hey hey! I'm sorry Leo-- I was just playing a joke! I mean-" he pointed to Ashley who was watching the two man without a sound looking like a deer caught in headlights, "-she's a beautiful girl-- you can't blame me!" he laughed, easily dodging the fist that came his way. Laughing he hugged the man-- sensing the tension leaving Leon as he spoke.

"That's not funny man. You don't make my job any easier." he said, giving up. Ashley felt a stab at her confidence at the remark.

"Well, get over it-- it's a job and it's got to be easier then what you've been dealing with." giving Ashley an appreciative look. He felt Leon's anger seethe through him again and with a laugh he rolled away, stepping towards Ashley faster then anyone had seen him move and hooking an arm around her shoulder he looked at her with an infectious smile saying, "we were about to have breakfast Leon, want some? I might be convinced to share mine if you're nice…" he trailed off, looking at Ashley and smiling at her.

She couldn't help but smile. He was obviously teasing them and it gave her a small glow. He reminded her strongly of what she had always wanted-- a big brother. But she smiled at him, feeling Leon's gaze wash over her even as she tried to fight the urge to run to him and hug him again-- she knew it wasn't going to be like last night-- and "big brother" wouldn't take well to it either most likely. That moment seemed to have come and gone.

Leon eyed the two and felt jealousy burn in his stomach as he saw them smile at each other. Seth treated everyone like he'd known them for a million years and it was hard not to like him just for that reason. It was hard to know what he was really thinking since he was always putting up a wall. It seemed as if Ashley was already opening up to the man and he wasn't sure about how he felt about it. Try as he might, he couldn't stuff the jealousy down.

"No Seth, you know I have things to take care of. But Ashley…" he felt the urge to choke on his words but maintained his composure, "you'll be with Seth for the first few hours in the morning today and he'll be taking you to see Dr. Midori-- from there I will escort you wherever you want to go." he finished with a grimace, hating the word escort but using it anyway.

"So you have to stay with me now? Your going to be my bodyguard?" she asked, her voice small enough that both men noticed the change. Leon did his best to ignore it-- he had to ignore it-- he couldn't let another thing like last night happen again… it wasn't acceptable. Seth just watched Leon's guarded face as he answered…

"Yes, the President insisted that I continue to be assigned personally to you."

"Oh…" her voice was flat and monotone. He couldn't understand why she would sound like that-- shouldn't she be happy? Damn it, somebody needed to be happy about this massacre of a "mission".

"Well I just came to make sure everything was alright. I have to get going…" he said nervously, giving Seth a death stare at the knowing smirk he had on his face, "don't forget to meet up with me after the fact, Seth." and he turned away from them and walked to the door.

Ashley started to step forward-- not wanting him to leave, and her eyes watered as he refused to say goodbye. She was so unsure of herself-- she didn't want him to leave her again. She only felt safe with him there but she felt the lead weight of Seth's hand holding her back.

Seth watched the girl's eyes watered and smiled, knowing damn well what was going on between the two. It was almost sad to see Leon still being tormented by his past-- but he'd do anything he could to help him out-- he guessed they'd be talking about it later, for sure.

"Breakfast?" he said with a smile, turning to Ashley after the door slid shut with a metallic click. She nodded once and walked to the table as Seth followed her. He began to start putting pancakes on her plate that resembled something her dog might have eaten-- and thrown up-- as well as eggs that looked oddly like burnt charcoal.

"Looks great, Seth…" she murmured, her stomach twisting in hunger but revolting at the idea of that going into her stomach. She looked up at him, smiled, and took the pitcher of syrup and flooded her plate with it, hoping to give it some kind of taste. He laughed, watching her and said, "I know it doesn't look any good, but then again, its better then nothing…"

_She remembered the lack of food they had endured while in Spain. They'd had a few rations of food that Leon had spared mostly for her. She'd eaten it without complaint, thanking him and feeling guilty for doing so. He'd always watch her eat, with an odd look in his eyes until one of those dark nights he asked in a friendly, soft voice, "How can you eat that stuff-- I'm glad your eating it-- doing me a favor really…" and she'd laughed-- they both had needed a little laughter in their situation._

"You're in love with him, aren't you?"

She choked on the crunchy morsel she had stuffed into her mouth and gasped, her eyes widening in surprise. Ever calm, Seth held the glass of orange juice out to her and she took it graciously, gulping loudly as the blessed acid washed away the bit of charred pancake that had been lodged in her throat. She hadn't been expecting that and she thought frantically how to dodge the question as she appeared to clear her throat. Seth's eyes glistened darkly and she felt a slight twinge of darkness behind those emerald green orbs but waved the thought almost as quickly as it had come.

'Fight, Ashley', her conscious screamed at her, 'two can play this game!!!'

"I…" she started, a blush tinting her cheeks as she felt her mind scramble for a quick retort. But try as she might, she couldn't help but remember all the times Leon had saved her, helped her up and held her close when she would shake uncontrollably in the night. She remembered the caress of his lips against hers the night before-- the way he'd caressed her cheek and the burning need that had erupted from within her the moment she had sensed his presence.

"I… don't believe that's any of your business is it, Mr. Ryan?" she asked, the blush still evident on her face as she struggled to hide the haze of her memories behind her eyes. She watched as a barely perceptible glimmer of amusement sparkled in his eye and was gone. Using her knife, she cut into her "pancake" and impaled the offending piece on her fork, popping the crunchy material into her mouth and fighting the urge to gag.

"But you do love him." he said matter-of-factly. "He cares about you too, you know?"

"Oh…?" she asked, her resolve wavering like the reflection of the moon on waves. Hoping he had feelings for her was a dream… at least it was when they had first escaped. But after last night…

"Yep."

"How do you know?" she asked hesitantly.

"It's none of my business really-- I'm sure you'll find out for yourself." He said, his lips twitching again with amusement. She was as cute as the puppy that was contentedly sleeping on his feet.

She heaved a heavy sigh and said, "Yes… yes I am in love with him-- so kind of you to dissect my feelings. I suppose you know everything that happened between us in Spain?" she asked, remembering so many times they had been in…. compromising situations… and she wondered if Leon would really "report" on things like that. Apparently he'd even mentioned the overtime issue-- which made her swirl with disgust at her brash behavior.

Seth had no idea what she was talking about-- but he was going to find out. Playing it off he said again, "yep" and watched as her face seemed to sag in horror, turning interesting shade of purple as she tried to maintain her breathing despite the deep blush adorning her cheeks.

"We-well…" she stuttered, "then ma-maybe-maybe you could ex-explain ho-how he fee-feels?" she chided herself for stammering out her response but he simple smiled at her and she felt foolish-- a horrible taste in her mouth that made her wish she hadn't downed her orange juice. This man was obviously a friend and she was nervous about him knowing so much… but that meant everyone else knew too-- she was the only one in the dark about Leon.

He considered his words carefully before continuing, "I'm sure that the two of you are old enough to work out your differences as well as the things you share in… common… Leon is a special kind of guy-- you're just going to have to give him some time before you push him into anything. He's happy right now, even if he doesn't know it yet."

She watched him speaking, mesmerized by his words that were filling her with a hope she hadn't known she could possess after Spain, "…and I can see why he'd be happy. But he's got a kind of ghost in his closet that he can't get rid of. Maybe you can help him with that-- I don't know. But just be patient, he'll come around… in time." he smiled at her, only this time the smile seemed real. It was obvious he cared about Leon a lot and the thought made her feel oddly left out. She didn't really know anything about Leon… but this man seemed to know so much more then she did, so much that she wanted to know.

"How did the two of you meet?" she asked, changing subjects as best she could.

"Well, we actually met in the academy in a special operative unit designed specifically to protect the president and his family. We were both interested in protecting people and we were both sick of being a bodyguard for a high up military officials-- there is no personal gain to be had from a job that sees you as entirely expendable. We both wanted to live for something important-- even though the pay sucks."

"So why do you do it if it doesn't give you much compensation. Surely you can do other things, be a private bodyguard and make more money that way?" she asked softly.

He paused, considering, "Well I guess I'm just masochistic. Now… Leon-- he does it because he's got an agenda. You see, he's never been able to stop trying to protect people; it gives him a reason since he wasn't protecting people when he became a cop. It was kind of difficult for someone his age to accept that people were generally bad, and that getting to them didn't often happen." he stopped, watching her expression change over what he said before continuing, "It's much easier on the heart to protect something then to have to get justice for someone who wasn't protected well enough. Leon's always been that way-- since we met."

"_We're going to get out of here. It's my job to protect you. Don't worry, I won't leave you."_

'No wonder he was always adamant about protecting me and not just leaving me there. He genuinely cared or cares about what happened to me… Somewhere deep in him, he's got to have feelings for me… I know it!' she thought dully.

Quickly changing the subject he said, "Leon's much happier here now that everything is calming down. He hasn't laughed in a long time so you can be happy about that. Don't let it worry you too much, good people make it too, they can just make it in a different way. But that's all beside the point-- you do know we have to be somewhere soon-- we can talk in the car if you want but you've got to get into the shower and dressed so we can take you see the Doctor-- don't want to miss that." he said.

She watched as he took a big bite of eggs, some of them slopping off the spoon as he reached one hand into his pocket to dig at something there. After a moment he pulled out a box parliament lights. She watched him eye her as he nodded to her, his mouth still full, "Do you mind if I smoke in here?" he asked innocently, apparently oblivious to the food he was still chomping in his mouth.

She looked at the food on his plate and asked, "You smoke while your eating?" wondering if that was even possible, or even recommended.

He smiled as he pulled out a Bick lighter from his pocket and swallowing the remaining food in his mouth, put the cigarette there and lit it. The end of it burned brightly for a moment as he drew on it. She watched, hating the smoke and not wanting to eat either. Her stomach wanted nothing to do with food, let alone this massacre of breakfast, but he had made it with good intentions and she might as well get something in her stomach to keep her strength up.

"You know smoking kills, don't you?" she said, looking at him with a pointed expression.

'Now where have I heard that before?' he thought fondly as he smiled, smoke escaping from his lips as he exhaled. Apparently, she and Leon had more in common then he'd first thought.

"Did I ever tell you about my theory on smoking? It all starts with a baby…" he said, trailing off as she smiled, laughing a little and taking a crunchy bite out of her burnt pancake. He kept talking watching her as she seemed to laugh into their plates. It was good to see her eating despite how awful he knew it was. Watching her smile, her eyes twinkling with laughter and realized exactly why Leon liked this girl. If she had been his mission, he wouldn't have let her go either.

…

…

…

So I hope you like my new character Seth. It would have really been too boring if I had simply stuck with just Ashley and Leon. They can't be the only characters if there is to be any developing. Seth is a comfortable person to be with, but he's also still an amazing government operative-- so there isn't much he misses, just like Leon. He's also very funny, or I try to make him that way. Any suggestions would be wonderful. He's a very forward person too-- but secretly he's got a human side to him too-- which we'll see much later.

I hinted at some of the underlying plot and I've been doing some revamping so that I can add in some major plot revisions for this story!

Enjoy and REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!!

-Luky


	10. The Green Eyed Monster

So it's been a long time since I was able to actually write anything for this story. Not only was I planning my wedding, but my now husband, lost his job and I haven't had the time to worry about writing. Sorry, that's life :-P So after more then 6 months, he finally has a job again and the stress is off my back and imagine-- the 2nd day after he started his new job, I started to feel the urge to write more of this story! BTW-I was very unhappy with RE5... But that's just me… sorry the ending sucked.

On with the story! Please enjoy it and send me a **REVIEW TO KEEP ME GOING**!!!! Thank you very much ^_^

-Luky

…

**Chapter Ten**

…

The Green Eyed Monster

…

…

…

He was pissed.

Placing his hands on his lean hips he straightened. He'd been in this stuffy room for hours it felt like and he wasn't feeling any better then he had when he'd gotten to the facility where the fugitive, as they called him, was being held. He'd come here to personally interrogate the bastard about what he was doing in Ashley's apartment at night, holding her down and bleeding on her. Thinking about it made another roll of anger wash over him.

Scratch that-- he hadn't felt good since he woke up that morning and seeing Ashley all cozy and friendly with Seth had made him feel like an angry, half starved animal that was caged-- and feral.

He hadn't even thought about it until then but it did occur to him that despite Ashley having said she "loved him" on the beach, didn't mean it wasn't just a delirious hallucination brought on by exhaustion and stress. Hell, he'd seen enough of that kind of mumbling to last him a lifetime-- what made him think she really meant it? She probably had no idea that she'd said it anyway. And she was just a kid; her perceptions of "love" could be nothing more then

'Why the hell do I care anyway-- she's just an assignment that I have for the next couple of months until everything cools down. When she's all better I'll be reassigned…' he thought to himself. Gritting his teeth he swung his foot into a chair and cursed when it crushed his toe. He didn't know why but the thought of being reassigned both reassured and distressed him.

Try as he might, the dark voice in his head whispered back at him-- his conscious telling him that she was just an assignment-- an "assignment" that he'd made out with like a 16 year old boy and fantasized about sleeping with more then once. He tried to stuff the voice back down but it refused to be stifled. The little green monster was burning through him as he thought of Ashley having dinner with Seth-- his mind revolting against in as soon as it entered into his head.

But she had seemed right at home with him in her apartment-- he had to be honest; it had made him feel really uncomfortable and angry. Hearing anyone trying to talk to Ashley or to try to take her out, made his blood boil. Staring down at the man below him he couldn't help but let his anger radiate from his voice as he stood over him, powerfully poised to strike him if he made even a twitch in the wrong direction.

"So tell me…" he breathed heavy, eyeing the man with hatred that would make someone's insides curl, "what you were doing at her apartment again?" his eyes glared into the man below him, who was cowered against the wall. He'd only been in here for half of an hour but the man was speechless. He'd come in, pissed off and angry from that morning. It was a shame he'd been told to interrogate Rick Reynolds personally for what he'd done.

He'd rushed over to Ashley's place, knowing damn well that Seth had spent the night. He knew what it was like to watch over a woman like Ashley. He'd been tempted so many times and he'd barely known her for a week when he had been ready to crawl into bed and soothe away all her screams and fears. It pained him not to trust his friend but the urge still reigned in his reason and filled with need to kick some ass.

They were very compatible, he thought uncomfortably as he relished in the thought before remembering that he had left the apartment and was up until the wee hours in the morning at a bar, drinking away the night when he knew damn well that he was living right next to the woman he was supposed to protect. It was some kind of sick shit to put them so close together-- the only two apartments on the damn floor and it's his and hers? What kind of game were they playing-- He didn't have to live right next door to protect her, or perhaps there were other reasons.

Scoffing, he scratched his head as he remembered stumbling into the condo in the wee hours of the morning.

"_Somebody's been out to a party tonight? Care to let me know what you've been doing, Leo?"_

"_Shut up, Seth…" he'd grumbled, only slightly drunk. He wasn't much of a drinker but he'd felt the urge and the bar had been filled with tons of beautiful, half naked woman who would do anything they could to take his mind off of his problems. It wasn't something he was proud of, but he'd been through hell-- and now he was stuck with one of the easiest things to covet in the world-- a woman. _

"_Need some help there, partner?" he said with a smile, walking over to him and helping him up with one arm wrapped around his shoulders. He didn't want to accept the help but he let it go, he was more willing to take help from him then the hooker who had tried to follow him home, "you smell like a sleazy woman-- been visiting the strip club my friend? I think I see some run-off airbrush on your pants…"_

_He ignored him- he always was giving him a hard time. He just wanted to get home, back to his apartment where he could try to sleep in peace without having to wake in the middle of the night to Ashley's screams. He didn't know if he could take it right now and all he wanted to do was pass out on his and forget his troubles._

"_Damn it Seth, shut your mouth fur once? Why do you always have to keep running and digging at people? It gets frustrating after awhile to have your brain picked at-- I get enough of that…" he muttered as they've got to the door. Seth waved something above the eye hole and the door clicked open-- and the two of them crossed the threshold into the empty apartment._

"_Not much for aesthetics are you, Leon?" he asked sarcastically, admiring the boring decorating scheme and setting the man on the bed. He watched as the man sat, his knees bent and his head in his hands. He groaned loudly, and Seth watched him, a bemused expression on his face as he began to speak._

"_I just don't know Seth… I can't be around that girl-- I'll lose all my self control and I just can't do it. I won't fail another woman again. I can't… You cant imagine how hard it was in Spain to be with her-- to have to look at her… and she's screaming… screaming in her sleep for YOU… screaming for you to wake her up-- to save her from god knows what that she's cooked up in her mind…"_

"_There's nothing but to wake her up to face a different nightmare. A different horror… Something real and horrifying that no girl should ever have to see, let alone someone like Ashley…" he trailed off as Seth sat down next to him._

_Putting a comforting hand on his shoulder he felt his friend be silent for the first time. He was thinking… Thinking of how to respond to what he had said. It had been so hard-- and drinking for the first time in months had seemingly loosened his tongue in ways it never usually was. He felt the urge to scream as he heard her again in his ear-- a memory from the past-- crying out for help._

"_I just… can't shake it man…" he sighed, feeling broken as memories flashed before his eyes. Even the weight of Seth's hand on his shoulder was not enough to weigh him down to earth and he was so unaccustomed to the floating sensation that the alcohol had given him that he felt like he was sliding off the bed, regardless of the fact that he was completely stationary._

"_The sound of her while she's dreaming?" he asked quietly._

"_You heard her didn't you? She screams… and doesn't stop and there is nothing anyone can do but shake her until she stops or..."_

'…_hold her close…'_

_Seth nodded, his brow furrowed. He'd heard. Leon knew he had to of heard her. The sheer fact that he wasn't opening his mouth and rambling proved how serious those dreams appeared to be. Part of him was happy she was in therapy over it, good god, sometimes he wondered if he needed to be. The utter fear in her voice as she screamed in the night was enough to make any man's blood run cold. He had felt it many times; he knew what it was like to see a woman in pain, needing protection from her own mind-- but being unable to help her._

"_I just… don't know how to react to a woman who needs protecting when I can't do it. How can I protect her from herself..?"_

…

He blinked from the memory and again turned to the man below him who was looking at him, confused and uncertain of what to say to the man who seemed in another world. He reached down and grabbing the man by the collar, again addressed his anger and frustration by spitting into his face angrily, "Tell me damn you! What the hell do you think you were doing with the president's daughter?!"

The man below him appeared scared to tears, his nose busted and the blood still smeared across his handsome features but for some reason, Leon wasn't buying it. He was hiding something and he was going to get it out of him. They hadn't taken any precautions with him. A quick run of his information they found on him pulled up a detailed list of everything that was on him. He was 27, his age and a reporter for Entertainment Tonight who'd been fired for not reporting in for more then 3 months when he'd been stuck in quarantine. Looking at him, he barely recognized him as the man he'd elbowed in the face on the beach that day but he had to ask why he'd been there. If he recalled, not very often American reporters had full gear with them while vacationing on a beach to catch a glimpse of a story.

'Damn reporters…'

"I'm sorry-- I was just-- I just-- I just… "he mumbled and Leon punched him again in the stomach, satisfied to let his anger out on the man. He didn't feel any pity. He grabbed him by his wounded arm that had been bandaged and made the man scream in pain. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to scare the little bitch-- you've ruined me whole li--"

He stopped as Leon planted another fist against his teeth, effectively silencing him. He groaned in pain and slid down against the wall.

"Don't you EVER refer to her as a bitch around me you scum bag! You like to beat on women? Just you wait… I'm going to send you to one of the nuttiest, scummiest prisons in this entire country for what you've done!" and he kicked him, hard in the ribs. He tried to contain his anger but he was frustrated-- and couldn't help himself.

He had his hands on Ashley. He'd hurt her. He'd tried to pin her on the bed to do what in God's name, he didn't want to know. Thinking about it made him plant his fist right against his eye causing him to yelp like a beat dog and scuttle away from him

Seeing red, he turned away. If he wasn't careful, he'd just as well kill the man for what he had done to Ashley. Mercilessly killing anyone who had dared to hurt her seemed like a good idea at the moment but he needed information, and he wasn't much for wasting bullets on bastards like this one. He wasn't much for killing-- but he was effectively trained in it and he couldn't help the profession he had chosen.

Turning away from the man he walked towards the table and sitting on it, addressed him again, "You just wanted a story? Did you just want a story and you had to get it out of her? What the hell were you thinking? Assault the president's daughter? Didn't you learn the first time!?" he yelled as the man sunk lower against the wall, bleeding from his mouth and a cut above his eye.

Just as he was ready to get up and pounce again the door slid open with the mechanical whir of machine links twisting to reveal Seth walking in, calm as day, smoking a cigarette and humming to himself. The man watched the other and shouted to him, "are you going to help me-- this guys going to kill me! I want my fucking lawyer!"

Seth nodded to Leon and despite his earlier anger he nodded back to him before turning to look at the man. Seth inhaled deeply, sighing heavy and relishing in the taste of the drag-- enjoying the slow burn it made as it coursed through his lungs. He looked at the man with a half smile on his face before turning to see Leon, barely sweating and breathing heavy with anger. He was surprised at the cold look he gave him but he ignored it for the moment, instead choosing to toy with their new prey.

"Well we've got our very own little weasel here, buddy…" he lazily said, taking another hit from his cigarette and watching the man shudder in response to hearing he was a friend of the man assaulting him. "But what I want to know is… what we need to do with him now?"

Leon gave him an eye and scoffed turning away from the both of them. He felt like Seth was a brother he'd never had-- but right now, he didn't even want to see him, or Ashley-- or this scumbag. Seth distantly was aware of his strange behavior but ignored it, "so what I'd like to know is what he was planning on getting from Ashley. I mean-- never mind what a beautiful woman she is…" he trailed off.

Leon stiffened despite himself. Seth took notice.

"…but if you were interested in going public with her story-- how in the world could you possibly believe the government would ever let you post that story. You wouldn't have even been able to put a conspiracy blog up without us knowing it. So tell me why you did it and who you work for; before we send you to a tiny cell with a very, VERY lonely cell mate."

He walked closer to the man, lazily puffing on his cigarette as he spoke. The man was trying to sink lower against the wall as he did but as Seth came closer to him he put a mask of anger on his face that was easy to see through. Weak men like him were only strong against people like Ashley-- people who couldn't protect themselves. Like Seth's father had been. He knew he didn't like the man, long before he'd even gotten into this room.

Seth leaned closer to his face and the man reared back quickly and pushing forward, spat straight into his eye. Seth didn't so much as blink in surprise as Leon jumped smoothly from the table and came around the side of him as he carefully wiped at his face where blood and saliva dripped.

"Well now…" he said as he reached over and wiped in on the front of his bloodied shirt.

"Seth…" Leon's voice was a warning to him even as he knew that he was easily able to contain his rage-- not like him.

"You like to beat on woman and spit on men? I'd like to see you try THAT… in prison…" he said softly, with a lace of malice in his voice as he took one last drag on his cigarette and carefully reaching over, pressed the glowing amber against the mans eyelid. The man screamed as Seth buried it against his sizzling flesh, blowing the smoke in his face as he did so. The man cried out, tears pouring from his eyes as he began to sob theatrically.

Leon watched in mute satisfaction and said, "It doesn't matter where you think your going-- any remaining relatives will be notified of your crimes against America and will be told of where you are being held. Until then, enjoy your time in federal prison." He shrugged as Seth straightened, laughed softly and turned to leave. Leon felt the urge to kick him again but he ignored it-- he was going to get enough of a greeting in prison when the rumor of him raping a girl circulated the prison.

As they head towards the door he spoke again, his voice hoarse, blood dripping along his lips and cheeks from his freshly broken nose as he sputtered, "Send me to prison. I'll let everyone with visitation rights know just how scared Ashley was… I think it's interesting…" he started as both men turned to hear him speak, "how she reacted to my… assault."

Seth watched Leon's jaw twitch with anger and uncertainty. Had he done something else? Had he hurt her more then they knew? What exactly happened to Ashley that made him so confident of his position against them? What "reaction" did she have?

"You'd think she'd had a bad experience from the way she reacted to my touch. If you stick me in a cell by myself and don't restrict my visitors then I won't tell a soul about what happened. Otherwise I'll use my now limited but still powerful connections to make sure that everyone knows about what happened to her-- about your little beach story… and about how the government lied about her whereabouts all this time…"

"Or we could just kill you." Seth said matter-of-factly, as if he were discussing dinner with a friend. Rick's face rippled in horror at the sheer honesty he saw in Seth's facial expression.

Leon felt sickness at the man swarm his senses as he thought just how many connections he'd have. And in a prison there would be no secrets. No matter what prison they put him in, they were always allowed mail correspondence and if they already couldn't afford to protect Ashley with a full arsenal of men as he thought she should be-- then there would be no to have all the personae needed to screen all the letters that went out of a prison, no matter how small it was-- or remote.

"One word… Reynolds…" he swore, feeling the urge to smack him again on the other eye to give him a complete raccoon eye look to go with his other charming new features, "…one word and that's it for you. We'll make sure you disappear. Hell-- your career is already finished and your life is over. What's the sense of ending it? You've got your single cell but your visitation is zero-- and no mail correspondence. The only thing you get is an attorney and that won't do you much good with the charges we're going to stick you with."

The men watched as Rick started to laugh, blood dripping into his mouth causing him to cough hard, only to start laughing again. Waving his hand in front of him, he huddled closer to the floor as he said, "you've got a deal boys-- You won't have to worry about me ever again…"

They left him there, twitching on the floor and clutching his face and laughing. The whole thing made them feel like they'd broken him but despite it-- it seemed like he'd made out with more then they had. Maybe they'd been rough on him but both men had wanted to do much worse, for Ashley's sake. No girl in the world should have to deal with that kind of fear… and a man who abused a woman for whatever reason, no matter how severe the abuse, was a damn coward and deserved an ass kicking from someone-- especially if that girl didn't have any brothers or a father to do it for them. Plus, a single cell was the biggest thing he'd get from them-- they still had showers together….

Walking down the corridor, Leon was silent. He was still feeling pretty angry and beating on Rick hadn't made him feel any better about what he'd seen that morning. He wasn't willing to speak right now and it seemed that despite his never-ending lack of topics, Seth was silent too-- if only for a moment.

"What a scumbag." he spat as he pulled out another cigarette and lit it.

"Damn right. That bastard is going away for a long, long time and it's a good thing his mother doesn't speaks to him otherwise this could have been a much bigger issue to deal with…" he said, trailing off.

"What a winner! I bet he drank too. Isn't it so easy to hate a man? Jeez, you did a number of him Leon-- I'm proud! You wouldn't have done that before you'd gone to Spain." he said as they walked.

Leon didn't hesitate. He hated how Seth could so easily bring up something so awful and make it sound so light hearted. Such a shame you couldn't really do it for something like Spain. "Yeah well, things like that change people. It's hard to be who I was after you see something like that."

"So that means Ashley changed too, right?" he asked, giving him the bait.

"I…" Leon started, giving Seth a dirty look form the corner of his eye, "yes. She changed too I'm sure."

They turned a corner and saw a few military personal who saluted as they walked past. They both saluted back quickly and continued, stepping into the final clearance room. Pulling out their name tags they swiped them in front of the door and putting both hands against the wall spoke into it.

"Alpha"

"Bravo"

The door opened into what looked like a closet. Stepping into it, they opened the door, pulling open the door and stepping out into a deserted hallway. They closed the door to the broom closet and kept walking forward towards the front entrance to the building.

"Why are you so edgy my friend, strippers didn't help you out at all last night?" he asked with a smirk. A momentary lapse of judgment it seemed-- but he couldn't miss out on the opportunity to tease him about it. Leon had his fair share of sarcasm but he had been a little more uptight then ever before lately-- he was starting to think he was no fun underneath all the brooding and anger.

"Damn it Seth, that's not funny. I didn't go there for that-- it was the nearest bar and… well…" he remembered the way she felt as he kissed her and a momentary flare of lust caused him to stop. He didn't want to think about the way her sweet body had felt so good against his-- and not in a platonic way as he had before-- this was basic need and the thought made his insides twist with something he couldn't name-- guilt, perhaps… for taking advantage, and letting what seemed like a physical need overcome his desire for another… Seth stopped too, a few steps forward to turn and look back at him.

Considering his words carefully he said, "There's other things between the two of us that is hard to explain. I couldn't put some things in my briefing. Some things are to remain private." he started, realizing that this was probably the only man he could safely tell this next information too and wanting badly to get it off his chest.

"You mean with Ashley?"

"Yes. Things happened when your on a mission, especially with a girl-- and I'm still all shook up about it. I feel like a scumbag-- worse then that asshole Rick…" he said motion with his thumb towards the building behind them. "I feel like I've taken advantage of her wrongly without real feeling it…"

"But while we were there-- there was an operative unit that was there working against me, the faction detailed in my briefing that was trying to recreate umbrella. It just so happens that the operative who managed to get the T-virus from me was Ada. Ada Wong." he heaved a sigh, expecting his friend to blow up on him.

He was simply silent, biting his lip as he put his hands on his hips and looked out against the city. He scanned the people and the cars that were driving on the street in front of the disguised military building. People that were so unsuspecting. These people that were so happy and so miserable in their lives-- lives they could call their own.

"Damn it, Leon…" he spat, real anger evident in his voice as he addressed the sullen man behind him, "you let something go because of a woman?" It was the only the second time he had seen Seth visibly angry. He had turned to him and grabbing him by the shirt shook him.

"God damn it-- she had a gun to my fucking head you ass! What was I supposed to do, let her blow up the island with my dead body on it and Ashley's too?! If I hadn't nobody would have lived through this and the government wouldn't have had any idea about it!" he yelled, smacking his hands away.

"Don't give me that shit-- you did it for Ada!" Seth hissed angrily.

Leon couldn't deny how he'd felt when he'd seen her dangling on the rope, knocked out right before he fought Salazar. He could save her from that problem, it was his first priority when he'd seen her hanging, not like she ever needed his protection anyway. She was a cunning woman who did want she needed to for her job and didn't give any pause for things like emotions. Not since Raccoon city. And there had been moments. He knew she still had feelings for him. She was trapped as being a spy-- he had to get her out of that business.

"Damn it Leon, it's not time for La La fucking land! Did you hear me? You let a spy take a dangerous virus away from us to use as a potential biological weapon against innocent people like Ashley and others!"

"Shut up Seth-- it's easy for you! You didn't have to watch her die in your dreams night after night!" he yelled, letting too much of himself show but he couldn't help it, "Knowing damn well each time there's nothing you can do to change the outcome-- she was going to die no matter what you do and there's nothing you can do about it! How would you feel if you woke up and realized she was still alive?! How would you feel knowing you had watched her die over and over again in your dreams for nothing?!" he yelled, grabbing him by the shirt and shaking him roughly.

"Are you so sure I don't understand how you feel, friend?" Seth asked softly, his eyes narrowed into dangerous slits that just begged for a challenge. Leon bit his tongue, realizing what he had just said and mentally berated himself as the words reverberated in his mind.

"I'm sorry Leon… but it's been six years… it's time to get past that."

"Well that's easy for you to say." he spat, turning and walking away from him.

"It isn't EASY for me. I can see there are other things more important than your past but you've got to respect my position too. You have to get over it Leon, there is a girl who is bright as day who needs your help more then Ada ever will. You've got to stop living with your ghosts and move the fuck on."

Leon froze, remembering Ashley after an instant. He'd forgotten about her… if only for a moment.

"Your telling ME, about moving on? She doesn't need me anymore anyway, Seth. I brought her home-- mission complete. Plus she seemed to get along real well with you-- maybe you should consider being her bodyguard instead of me." he said bitterly, not realizing he'd said it like that. Despite himself, the image of Ashley happy and running towards him was sweet-- but when the image changed to her running to Seth it made his blood boil.

"Leon."

He heard the soft tone and he turned to look at his friend whose hands were spread out on either side.

"I know it's hard to let go of your ghosts-- but you're not the same man from then-- and I'm sure Ada isn't either. I know it's easier to love a woman with a gun-- but it's a sick pleasure to like it when she puts the gun against your head." Leon scoffed, hating him for being so obvious.

"You make it sound so simple Seth. Forget your feelings for one woman and run to another? I can't do something like that." he said turning and walking towards his car.

Seth watched him go and shouted, "Why not? The ladies are easy and I do it all the time!"

He didn't respond so he yelled back, angry again, "She needs someone Leon and if you keep pushing her away-- she's going to run to someone else and you'll be left in the dust. Don't you ever blame anyone else for pushing her away but yourself!"

He kept walking, seemingly ignoring him.

"You know damn well how she feels you cold bastard! If she were crying out for me in her sleep I would have left the memory of Beth in an instant to save her from that misery-- and she would have wanted that-- and you want it too-- you just push her away because you're a fearful bastard!!!" he yelled, his own heart clutching desperately as he fought with his own composure.

Watching him get to his car and open it, jumping in with ease, Seth looked down at his cigarette that had burnt out while they'd been talking. Giving a grunt of frustration he dropped it on the ground and smearing it against the sidewalk before pulling out another and lighting it-- watching Leon swerve into the oncoming traffic to get out of the spot and barrel away.

His hands shook a little as he lit his cigarette and breathing in deeply, felt the warmth flood his chest, circulating the nicotine and relieving his pounding headache. As he started to feel the affects of the nicotine circulate through his system he felt a familiar feeling wash over him, the feeling of being watch. Not changing the direction he surveyed the entire surrounding area with his peripherals not seeing anything. Shrugging he relented. He wasn't mistaken but he let it go-- there was no way to safely figure out who it was that was watching him without making it obvious.

"You can run all you want, but your running in circles my friend." he said to himself before turning and walking towards his own car. He distantly wondered if he'd said that out loud for the benefit of someone else or if he really did just like talking to himself. Regardless he had to go pick up Ashley from the Doctors, after all. He'd be glad when he could get back to his own mission.

…

From a nearby building someone peered through the binoculars at the building that the two men had just walked out of. They'd been waiting for such a long time for Leon to walk into the building but they had been surprised to see the presidents personal bodyguard walk out too. Leon was the target but it was definitely interesting to see that the president was more interested in his daughter's safety this time around.

It had been so easy to get to her the first time but now that everyone was on their toes from Spain it would be much more difficult. They'd have to set up a surveillance on the two on them to make sure nobody got to the before someone else did. Rather, there was a source that had just opened up that had some valuable information on Ashley that they'd be utilizing soon.

The person sat back as it watched Leon get into his car and drive away and then watched as the President's bodyguard seemed to light a cigarette peacefully. They sat back and thoughtfully fingered the camouflage binocular sides, thinking about how they would achieve they're goal as quickly, and as efficiently possible. The thoughts made them excited for action even though there was to be no action soon. Soon they'd be flying to Washington to have a little visit.

…

…

…

So what did you think?! Basically… Leon is tortured with Jealousy between Ashley and anyone, but he can't let go of his feelings towards Ada… his first love who he let die. I mean, honestly think on how that had to weigh on a man like Leon. Hopefully I had made this as realistic as possible for everyone. I have to say I absolutely love Seth, almost as much as Leon, in later chapters he becomes incredibly interesting and a fun plot twist kind of character ^_^ Hope you enjoyed this!

I'm really looking for a reliable proofreader for this. Grammar is not my forte :-) Thanks everyone!

Please **REVIEW AND TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK SO FAR!!!**

**-Luky**


	11. Confessions

It has been a long long time since I updated but this story still gets favorites and every now and then I get a review or message from someone asking me to finish it or post more. Since the last time I posted so much has happened. I started my own photography business which is doing very well and I started working 30 hours as a receptionist for a friend of mine who owns his own practice. I've been so busy that I haven't much thought about writing, drawing or anything I usually like to do :-O

So I decided to re-edit this and post because I make you wait long enough I think XD So sorry, but please enjoy. Every review I get is such a motivation even if it's been months and it keeps me wanting to write. Thank you!

-Luky

…

**Chapter Eleven**

…

**Confessions**

…

…

…

He'd been pissed off the whole morning but when he arrived home that afternoon being greeted by an empty house did nothing to soothe his anger. He didn't appreciate or need Seth's attempts to pick his brain especially since he'd had a hard enough night as it was, never mind this morning. He was tempted to go to his room and sleep for a little while before going in to see Ashley but for whatever reason he decided to go straight to her apartment. Whether it was temptation or need, whatever drove him to her door made him want to slap himself for being so brainless.

The hallway leading to the two doors at the end was long. They were the only two apartments on this floor and they occupied most of it- with huge expansive balconies that overlooked the water. He had admired it from a far, but he had no intention of ever going near the water again. He'd be happy if he never had to taste salt again for that matter.

Opening the door to her apartment, he expected to find her in there laughing or reading a magazine but the room was dark much to surprise. It didn't appear like anyone was home yet and a quick scan of the room showed that not much had moved since he saw it this morning. He sighed in relief, but didn't really feel it. That meant she and Seth had been late coming home from the doctor.

Seth couldn't be interested in Ashley- he had his own ghosts to chase no matter how much he tried to lecture Leon, he knew the truth about him and his feelings on woman. But he couldn't fault his friend for trying- there were just some things, some woman, you couldn't let go of. He knew how irrational it was that Seth would be interested in Ashley, but he couldn't help but feel the jealousy rearing its ugly head.

He crossed the room to sit on Ashley's bed. From here he could smell the distinct scent of her sheets. It smelled sweet, like warm citrus and watermelon. It was such a wonderful smell that he could almost taste it. Come to think of it, he hadn't really been able to smell much of her other than her sweat when they had been in Spain- and that alone had its own allure.

Without thinking he leaned back against the sheets, relishing in how soft the bed really was. It must have been something for her to sleep on those moss filled mattresses when she was accustomed to this. He hadn't slept on this kind of bed in his entire life. It was like floating on clouds and after only a few moments he began to feel drowsy.

Sitting up he tried to distract himself by walking around her room some more, examining everything he could. He stopped by her dresser. It was an antique, probably worth a fortune or passed down through her family. It seemed ancient but it had an elegantly carved mirror that attached to it- he could tell the rich material of the heavy oak was old and of great quality. What intrigued him were the pictures on the dresser.

Picking the nearest one up, it was an old, faded picture of what looked like Ashley and her mother. He could tell because one, he'd read everything there was to know about the family, and two, because she looked like a much older, like an exact replica of Ashley only slightly more mature features. Her hair was a little past her shoulder, like Ashley's was now. He thought the longer hair suited her better.

The woman in the picture looked so happy, smiling while Ashley, a kid, was draped over her shoulders with a huge smile spread across her face, missing her front tooth. He couldn't help by smile a little at the two- they seemed so happy. It was a day at the beach he could tell and even though the picture was in a frame, he could see the creases where it had been handled hundreds of times before being put away.

"That's my mom and me in the picture." he turned, not having realized that Ashley had walked in. She looked breathtakingly beautiful, in a crisp blue jean skirt that was form fitting, girly ruffles trimming the edges and a ¾ sleeve top that was squared off at the neckline showing off her ample bosom. On her neck she wore a chain necklace, sporting a flaming "4" on it. Not sure how to respond he just looked back at the picture.

She came up beside him and he could smell her perfume. There was no describing the scent as it lazily drifted over his senses, "I was 8. We had gone to the beach and it was a wonderful day. My mom didn't really like the sun but I wanted to go so bad- I threw a temper tantrum and made her take me. My father couldn't go because he was working and so my mom took the day off and spent it with me…" she trailed off, her eyes darkening with the memory. It seemed fond but he knew very well how the sunny story ended.

"We shouldn't have gone- if I had been a better daughter then my parents wouldn't have fought that night and my dad wouldn't have left. He loved my mom but they were having problems that I didn't understand at the time…" she trailed off, looking at the picture fondly. It was the only one of its kind- and she had scanned it, and saved it on several formats just in case she ever had her home burn down- or something terrible.

She had been surprised to see him in there but Seth had hinted at it a bit. Even though he was great at hiding how he really felt- she could tell the man had been troubled despite her having only known him for a day. Something about him or his personality just made her feel… warm… and comfortable with the man. Like he was a brother she had never had. When she was leaving the car he had told her that Leon was probably waiting for her and to "Go get him tiger.", which she had laughed at and closed the door.

Talking about her mother was hard for her and she never really did. It fed into her fears too much to come to terms with it, even though she had mostly been able to put the horrible memories aside. Her father had moved on, on with another woman, and she hadn't faulted him for it. He had been alone for almost ten years before he'd remarried, she wanted him to be happy and being in love with a ghost was painful.

Realizing she had stopped talking she looked up at Leon to see he had been staring at her. All she could think was about how Leon himself was still chasing ghosts and that it was time for him to move on too. She was filled with renewed hope that Seth had instilled in her. She'd been given this second chance to capture Leon's heart the way he'd ruthlessly obtained hers. She would do much the same, as best she could.

"Leon…" she found herself muttering his name, her feelings dripping in the word like glue. It was so evident how she felt- but how did he feel? Was this going to be harder then she thought?

"Do you want something to drink?" she heard herself asking as she backed away, reeling from the temptation to hug him again and trying to distract herself. She walked to her kitchen and started to pour him a drink as he followed her, sitting on one of the stools that were up against the island. He had to admit- if this was a home for entertaining, this little bar area would be a great place for people to just sit, eat and drink. But he wasn't really interested in that. His eyes had trained to the way Ashley was unscrewing the bottle the held in her hands. They way she gripped it sent his mind delving into inappropriate places and he tried in vain to look away.

"How was seeing the Doctor? Talk about anything important?" he asked, trying to make small talk to occupy the time. If he ignored the problem he might just be able to make it out of here without getting blue balls like he had the last night. Thinking about her in that way didn't help, and the short skirt didn't help either.

She poured the drink saying, "Not really. I have to see her everyday but we don't really talk too much about anything. She's more like a girlfriend because we mostly just talk about whatever." she lied. She didn't want to tell him that her nightmares had starting to increase- that they'd gotten worse and worse since she'd left the hospital. While he'd been in quarantine she'd been in the hospital with the help of sleeping medicine to keep her knocked out. Since she'd left she hadn't been prescribed any and the doctor hadn't even hinted at the aid.

It had been terrible for her, each night- waking up in utter fear- the same stench of vinegar and bleach infiltrating her nose until she could hardly breathe through the stench of it. On nights like that she simply clutched her puppy close to her chest and stepped onto the balcony- trying to breath in the salty smell of the sea to erase her bad memories…

'Memories…' she had wondered. Were they memories or were they something else? Was it just a nightmare of something that had happened to her? She could never remember anything about the dreams except for that smell but somehow she felt like the demons that plagued her sleep were nothing but her own. She and the doctor discussed that the best thing was for her to see her everyday- and to try and remember as much as she could so they could discuss what she remembered in their three hour sessions- but there was never anything to talk about except the fear and the smell. Other than that- it seemed more like girl chat… and of course, her newest way for working through her memories.

She smiled uncertainly and handing him the glass of water she watched as he gratefully downed it in several gulps. She couldn't help but smile a little, almost letting a giggle escape as he smacked the glass against the counter with a refreshed "ah". It was a Zephyrhills commercial in the making.

"Thirsty were you?" she said, tilting her head and peering up at him through her bangs. He gave her a short smile, unable to resist but immediately wiped it off his face as she let loose a giggle and filled it again. Taking it from her he didn't down it all at once, but sipped it.

Giving her a look he said moodily, "We get thirsty on duty. Remember, we don't get much time for ourselves." and the look her gave her said it was her fault for his lack of personal time. Well… if she had it her way- all his personal time would be spent with her- but not because of duty.

"All the more reason you should have dinner with me tonight- think of it practically, you'll be combining two activities together that will maximize time efficiency! What do you say?" she asked, goading him to accept her offer.

He'd read the logs from the doctor. Ashley had lost almost 20 lbs since she'd been last seen by a doctor before her kidnapping and had gotten a dependency on sleeping pills- largely due to the fact that they stuffed them down her throat every night. There wasn't much to the girl to begin with. He'd been informed to make sure she ate at least three times a day. Thinking back on it now, he wasn't her babysitter- he shouldn't be responsible for something like that.

"Yeah, sure." he said glumly and she yelped with joy causing the something to stir on the couch in the main room. Hearing the playful yip Ashley looked down to see her little puppy bounding towards her, full of joy and excitement, sporting a betula sandal in its jaws.

Laughing she leaned over, her hair catching in the air as she plucked the ball of fur off the ground and showed her off to Leon. Try as he might, he couldn't look at the dog, but saw instead the ample size of her breasts sticking out right next to it. She laughed scratching its face and taking the sandal out of its mouth.

"Momo, Leon. Leon, this is Momo. You guys can become good friends." she said to the dog and he briefly wondered if she hadn't stayed long enough with the mind doctor. Talking to pets? She didn't seem like the type. "She's a golden retriever puppy from a rescue shelter. I needed the company and she needed a home. I think we needed each other…!" she said into the dogs' face that promptly licked her, slathering spit all over her cheek and catching on her eye.

She laughed as she cuddled it. The dog was so happy to have attention that it kept lifting its paws as if to play with her hair. She laughed at his before setting her down on the floor. With a playful yip the dog belted off into the room chasing after a pink bunny slipper that was partially hidden under the bed. "She's going to be a great guard dog, don't you think?"

He watched her with the dog and felt a little burn of something he hadn't felt before. It was… something he couldn't name. Maybe it was affection- but the warmth spread as she continued to interact with the puppy. All sound was muted as he watched her talking to him, tilting her head and smiling, her beautiful face and expression enough to stop his heart but the only thing keeping it going.

"…and she's the smartest dog I've ever seen in my life. She fetches so many things and she learns so quickly!" she said, walking around the island to get to the side where Leon was sitting. He swiveled around in the chair until he saw Ashley plop the tail wagging puppy on the ground in front of her. It stood immediately and tried to jump, eagerly trying to get a lock of her hair in its mouth.

"Is it a girl?" he asked, not really caring but watching Ashley anyway.

"Yeah, they only had a girl so that's what I got. I feel like I've been ignoring her these past few days but she sleeps with me and loves to be with me no matter what. I think I won her over with her stomach…" she said laughing at pointing at the pink ceramic heart shaped dog bowls that were on the floor. He wanted to sigh at how gaudy and ugly they were but he found himself admiring them. For some reason, they suited both the owner and the dog.

"…after Seth had put bacon grease in her food who knows what she's going to do as far as a mess goes. I'll have to walk her today. She's been using puppy pads on the balcony but I don't like to clean that up- plus she can't stay cooped up in here with me forever…" she said, holding up one finger and watching as the dog sat instantly, "she needs to interact with all kinds of people in order to be friendly."

"She won't become much of a guard dog if you make her friendly- a golden retriever isn't much of a guardian if I recall…" he trailed off as her silken hair slid foreword, exposing the line of her neck and ear where a diamond stud was currently shining. Seeing that little tantalizing splay of flesh made his body react, not like he wasn't have a hard enough time as it was. Doing this daily was going to be hell.

"Nah… I wanted someone sweet. Plus nobody wanted this one anyway, she was snapping at the vet techs that were taking care of her. Apparently she's a wounded soul. I think we needed each other so I brought her home with me. Plus," she said, looking at him over her shoulder as she continued to play with the dog, "I didn't think I would ever be seeing you again. I didn't want to feel lonely."

Those eyes were so simple, but they were innocent yet fierce as they peered into him, as if to search out his darkest feelings and categorize them. She meant something with that look and he knew it. Without realizing he took the bait.

"Lonely?" he asked, regretting it as soon as he said it.

She stood and he couldn't help but admire the smooth curves of her legs. Legs that so easily could wrap around him and draw him in close- locking him against her- and clinging to him with all their strength. His eyes followed up and down her, and she obviously saw the look.

Nervously she bit her lip, her fingers falling to her skirt where she played with the ruffles. She was being insecure and she knew it- ignoring what her body was screaming at her- and ignoring her heart. Trying to sum up all her strength she took one hesitant yet purposeful step towards him, breathing deeply to remain in control.

She watched his eyes as they dropped to her chest and she fought the urge to cover them but knew that right now her strongest card was her body- he simply refused to acknowledge anything else except his physical reactions. Who knew what they did or didn't have in common? She had her own ghosts too- and Seth had motivated her. "Give him time", he had said, but she would give him all the time he needed with a little goading to go with it too.

He felt frozen to the spot as she stepped closer, but he stood, standing to his full height as she inched closer and closer. He groaned as her eyes started to tip up in order to see him- until she was looking at him from the tops of her eyes.

"Yes Leon… Lonely. Sure you can't say you've been satisfied with what's been happening since you got us out of Spain…" her voice soft and shy, so similar to her fearful whispers to him in the nights.

"That's for damn sure. Do you have any idea what you're doing, Ashley? This isn't a game." he said. The tension in the air was thick as she seemed to have a moment of weakness.

"I know that Leon… But I… I can't forget about you- and everything you've done. No dog is going to replace your part in my life…I can't forget Spain- I don't know if I ever will." he felt his throat constrict as she kept speaking. What the hell was she saying- what the hell had she and Seth been talking about.

"…And I know our past, however brief was wrought with all kinds of turmoil and fear- and I was a huge burden on you, I know all that. And I'm not a strong woman but I can be. I need your help Leon- I need your strength to help me stand up on my own- because if you don't want to be there for it, I'll have to learn how to help myself."

"Ashley… you know I'll always protect you, job or no job-" he was interrupted as she put her fingers on his lips, silencing him as her eyes watered. He didn't like this situation. When he was with her it was hard for him to ignore her.

"You can't always protect me Leon… and I know that. But for once, why don't you stop tormenting yourself. It's a job but that's all it is right now- let yourself go around me- I won't bite!" she said with a smile, trying to lighten the mood a little. She was floundering around in her words, trying to make it as short and sweet as possible- but she hardly knew if she even made sense. She wanted to thank him- to tell him how she felt.

Her hand traced from his lips as she leaned closer, her breasts inches away from his sturdy chest. His arms ached to reach out and press her against him, but he hesitated as she spoke again, "I never got the chance… to thank you for everything you did and still do. If it hadn't been for you Leon I would have died out there- I would have become some kind of monster that would have ended up hurting my new family- my country and everyone. Who knows, I may have ended up hurting you too even if we hadn't met."

"I know I'm just a girl, but I care about you Leon- I want you in my life as more then my protector." she stammered, her voice quaking as she dropped her hand from his chest, pressing it against her heart that was pounding furiously against her ribs. She took a step back, looking away as she spoke, her heart racing and desperately begging her to throw herself on him. But she couldn't. A strong woman would fight for what she wanted- if she wanted it badly enough.

Leon was speechless. She did care about him- sweet Jesus what was he going to do about this situation. He didn't know what to do so he just stood motionless and fighting the blush on his face that he knew for sure was trying to inch out there, little by little. Despite it, he knew damn well that a relationship between them just wouldn't work- not even casually. He couldn't get involved with another woman until he'd found out that Ada was either dead, or free from her job as a spy.

"I'm sorry Ashley. Things are obviously very complicated and I can't just let go of everything and fall into your arms like a teenage boy. We're adults; we have to act like it. Hormones can't be the only thing that draws us together. Those kinds of feelings don't last."

"Are you in love with that woman Leon, this Ada? Is she the ghost that haunts you?" she asked, her eyes shining with tears despite herself. He admired her ability to confront him like this, but he didn't appreciate it.

It never occurred to him whether or not Ada had found someone else- if she was simply fond of him at this point or even if she liked her job as a spy. Leon liked his job of being a bodyguard, but from somebody else's view- who in the hell would like to be running around after a complete stranger in the middle of Europe with a picture and handgun fighting mind controlled Spaniards? Doubtful anybody would say that person liked their job.

"…because if you're in love with the other woman then I'll just have to prove that I'm better for you. I know I am the one you want- I can see it when you look at me!" she said, desperation filling her voice as tears spilled from her eyes. "I know you care about me- I know it!" she cried as she threw herself against him, wrapping her arms around him.

Dear god he did. He liked the rush of being with her despite the hell it put him in. He liked saving Ashley- he'd been proud to say he'd gotten her back and they were heading home- he wouldn't take back any of those moments away from when he'd been with her. Her relief and each time she had thrown her arms around him, it had made his heart burn with relief. He'd grown feelings for her there but had tried to pass them off as something else- he tried but he could tell now that he had failed.

"Ashley… I've never…" he stopped collecting his thoughts as he pushed her away, looking her into her tear-filled questioning eyes. He breathed deeply before continuing, figuring he owed her some sort of explanation however vague, "I couldn't ever protect a woman. It's hard for a man like me to… accept that a woman can be saved when so many can't be…"

He looked down into her face. She had changed a lot that was for sure. She was more beautiful now then he would have thought possible. He definitely liked the hair longer- just to her shoulders with her original bangs grown out and new ones cut so that they danced along the curve of her eye instead of her forehead, hiding one half of her face away and showing the other.

"You see… that woman. I thought she died because of me and I haven't been able to let her face go. Even though we had a rough start of it, kind of like you and me, I let her go, and watched as she fell to her death. I can't help but think that if I had somehow pulled her up she wouldn't have fallen back into being a spy…" he said, his pain all too clear in his eyes.

"She was… a spy?" she asked softy, peering into his eyes.

She was leaned against him, her arms wrapped loosely around his hips. He reached up to grip her shoulders, wishing with all his being that he wasn't wearing gloves so he could feel her skin against his palms. He resisted, trying to control himself as he lifted one hand to her cheek, smoothing back her bangs and delighting in the feathery feel her hair had to it. It was perfect, like the rest of her. But he couldn't relish- he was trapped in his own memories for once.

"Yes… you see she'd infiltrated this medical community by getting into a relationship with a research assistant and using him, got inside of the facility. Her objective was to obtain a sample of a virus…" he paused, not wanting to tell her too much, "we… protected each other. Eventually I had the sample and she was going to shoot me to get it- but at the last moment she lowered her gun. Then she got shot and fell over the railing…"

She watched his eyes darken even as his hands stroking her were meant to be comforting- she knew he needed it more than her. She took a gamble and let her hands stroke the lower part of his back, a blush forming on her cheeks as she did so. Biting her lips she continued to listen to him talk- it was the first time he'd really said anything about himself and she didn't want to miss out.

'"And I can't forget about her. I used to dream about her and how lost she seemed. She didn't want to shoot me, I know that- and even though she was about to die, I knew her words were true- she wanted to escape Raccoon city to be with me. Amidst all that death we both wanted to live- whether it was for each other or not- we just wanted to live."

"That was six years ago. You were the first mission I accepted that had to do with protecting a woman. Up until now I couldn't fail another girl- I lost a bet to Seth and so I took the job of protecting you- and Seth was selected to protect your father. That's when I saw your picture and was sent to Spain to rescue you…" he trailed off, suddenly feeling her fingers tracing against his skin through the thin cotton. He felt a shudder pass over him at the touch and his insides began to burn.

"It was you, Ashley..." he spoke, his voice suddenly gruff and deep, "you picture was enough to give me a fear I had never known- the fear of failure. I knew how to be impartial but I wasn't prepared for you..." He remembered how she had deepened on him and how she had saved them both on several occasions. At first the lines had been so blurred between her and Ada that he couldn't separate them in his mind... but then she smiled at him.

Covered in dirt and grime and dried blood. She smiled and he realized then that the two women were so frighteningly different that he had been a fool not to notice. The fear then of losing another woman was tenfold and he genuinely feared for her life. That fear made him pull away-to not return her embrace and bury his feelings beneath his composed exterior. But that smile... those lips...

'Lips…' he thought, his mind going blank as his eyes dropped to her lips remembering their silky feel the first time he had pressed them to his own in her sleep… 'Just one kiss that will only last a second…'he knew he shouldn't be doing this. But he had such a stressful day and it was the only thing he wanted. The only thing he needed- if only to assure himself that they were different. If only to let go for just a moment.

She felt her heart flutter against her chest as his grip tightened on her shoulders as he pulled her closer, a little roughly and lowered his face down to hers. She was paralyzed against him, her heart beating so fast she thought it might burst from her chest. When his lips were so close to hers she felt his breath wash over her face and her lips parted, wanting him to kiss her- wanting him to show her what he was thinking- what he was feeling. Wanting with all her heart for him to feel Ashley and no one else.

Her eyelashes fluttered closed as his mouth took hers. It was desperate and filled with need both of them felt in each other. The urge to claw her hands free and touch his skin, to feel his muscular chest with her hands was so strong that she actually starting to shake as he pulled her deeper into the kiss.

He heard her moan as his tongue pushed between her lips, making her weak against him and opening up to him as she hadn't before. 'Ashley...' he thought as the sound made the animal in him growl in satisfaction. His tongue probed further, slanting his mouth over hers until he couldn't take it any longer, he needed more. Just a little more.

Turning them around, he picked her up and set her on the counter. Her hands free, she easily snaked them around his neck as he wrapped his arms around her waist and quickly jerked her against him- so close that she could feel his obviously rampant desire smashed between her legs. She was dizzy with how quickly he'd moved her- how fast they'd changed positions- at the blatant feel of him against her. She was moaning against his lips as he continued to kiss her and she felt one hand reaching over to touch her.

He pulled her tightly against him as he slid one hand underneath her blouse. Just a little bit more. Just a little bit.

She froze slightly, shame and nervousness flushing her skin before arching against the touch of him. She wanted this- it seemed that she always had. She wanted the feel of his touch against her the physical confirmation of all those weeks of misery and tension. The desire to experience and to explorer burst inside her like butterflies and she moaned again letting her head fall back as she shyly accepted all that he was offering.

His hands traced along the smoothness of her skin and she shuddered with pleasure as the rough texture of his glove scraped against her fevered flesh. Liquid fire pooled between her legs as she felt his fingertips touch the lacy bra she had put on. She longed for him to reach under it and to touch her as she bucked her hips against him, unable to control the strength of his body calling to hers, barely able to feel shame over something that felt so carnal and instinctually right.

He couldn't stand it. He couldn't stop himself. He needed this too much- far too much. Breaking the kiss he roughly let go of her and pushing up her skirt to reveal her white underwear, reached for his pants, his eyes feral and filled with lust as he gazed down at her. Her swollen lips were moist and her eyes were glazed with desire. She seemed so small, so innocent yet he couldn't stop himself. He needed more. His hand reached for the zipper at his pants and suddenly a load, jarring noise halted his movements as her phone began to ring.

They froze.

Ashley felt horror flood her skin as reality reached up and slapped her in the face. Leon's face was covered mostly by his hair and he was breathing raggedly. She jumped from the counter, trying to stop the furious beating of her heart as she reached for her phone and answered it.

"Hey Daddy…" she answered, looking back at Leon who was swiping at his head while she pulled her skirt back over her hips. She was flushed and she spoke with him for a moment, telling him she had the doctor on the other end and she would call him back after she was done talking to her. He watched her lie easily and kind of admired her. Something about that kiss had awakened a lust filled beast in him and he wasn't sure how to control it- or if he even could.

Closing the phone with her back to him she sighed and turned around looking him straight in the eye. She hated to lie to her father but she was so happy she couldn't contain herself- she needed to appear strong this time. She needed the strength to look at him as she was now, and not back down. It was so hard not to crumble with the darkness of his gaze- but she knew he was simply confused, and aroused- as she was.

"I guess I had better pick up dinner on my own then…" and started to walk towards the door. She couldn't help the smile that spread on her face as he passed her, feeling elated at their moment and still feeling his lips crushing against hers with passion she hadn't even known existed. She turned to him as he stopped at the door- her hair arcing around her body with her energetic turn.

"Does this mean that you've changed your mind about me, Leon?" she asked her voice shaky but filled with renewed hope that was validated by his kiss. Validated? Not even close to describing how that had made her feel…

"I don't know what it means." he said, his voice trembling as he refused to face her- he just couldn't right now. He couldn't do that or he knew he'd end up in bed with her and she might regret it. He might regret it.

"Goodnight, Ashley."

And then, he was gone.

…

…

…

How fun. Some people hate Ada but what fun is it if there is nothing to grow from? I hope you liked this. Who knows when I will post next but I would really appreciate the thoughts and everything on it in the form of reviews!

Review!


End file.
